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Mahama charges NDC to deliver Dome/Kwabenya seat in 2020

Former President John Dramani Mahama has charged the Dome/Kwabenya branch executives to deliver the constituency seat to the opposition National Democratic Congress in the upcoming 2020 Parliamentary election.

According to the former President when the Party works hard and is united it can deliver the seat and promise not to let the branch executives alone; he would join them work.

“ I would be here to help you deliver it,  when you elect me this December it means we have two years before  2020,  any weekend we are free when  the chairman get some of your branch executives  I would get my T shirt and join you for us to move from house to house”, he said.

He made this remarks when he took his campaign to the Greater Accra Region and appealed to delegates in Dome/Kwabenya constituency to elect him as the party’s flagbearer in December.

And told party supporters who had gathered at Haatso in the Dome/Kwabenya constituency that the party needs to work hard and appeal to Ghanaians and non supporters of the party to vote them back to power in 2020.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Ghana can learn from Kenya’s Parliament on gender and disability representation

Leader of a five member delegation from the Appointment Committee of Kenya’s Parliament, Khatib A. Nwashefai has said Ghana’s Parliament can also learn from their Parliament.

According to Khatib A. Nwashefai the issue of gender and disability representation in their National Assembly has been addressed.

“We have selected specific seats where we nominate people with disability and women to undergo rigorous campaigning”, he said in an interview.

He added that it has brought about huge changes in women representation, “we have created safe seats for forty-seven (47) women”, and to give the indication that in Africa women are subjected to rigorous competition to have representation.

Again one other thing we observed despite passing a law for ten years is that provisions had not been made to accommodate persons with disability, “your Parliament building is no disability friendly”, he lamented.

On the kind of governance being practiced in Kenya, he pointed that they have the National Assembly and the county, where the National Assembly (Senate) oversee the county.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Mahama lauds registration at NDC branch levels — Mahama

Flagbearer hopeful of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama has commended his party executives for reverting to registration of party members at the branch level.

According to the former President he is of the believe that the party is on the right track with that decision as power has returned into the hands of branch executives.

He recounted that when the party adopted the biometric registration people use to register at the regions and the constituency and names are sent to the national party head office, where members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) infiltrated.

“Now branch executives you know your people, if you are in charge of the registration can NPP people put their names in our register, it would not happen”?

That is why I say some of the steps we are taking, we are in the right direction and gives me confidence that we are coming back, he told party supporters at Dome/Kwabenya constituency.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

K. T. Hammond kicks against proposed committee of selection’s work

Former Deputy Minister of Energy under, former President Kufuor’s administration, Kobina Tahir Hammond has kicked against the proposed committee of selections work, forcing the House to step down the recomposing of the committees in Parliament.

According to the former Deputy Minister of Energy, he took a legal objection to the whole process and pointed out that under the standing orders of Parliament if you want to recompose, you need to involve the said chairman or chairperson you want to change for the person to give his or her consent.

“Everybody is complaining they are ignoring the provision of order 193 (a) during the session of Parliament by the committee of selection with the consent of the member concern or failing that, at the request of two thirds of all the members of the Parliamentary party to which the member belong or in the case of an independent member by simple majority of members of the House”.

He further pointed out that committee changes is not like a Presidential reshuffle, whoever they want to change is in the hands of the President as he has constitutional backings, he lamented.

Again it was envisaged that when we have a committee in place it would run its normal four year term, “I do not think they contemplated on the removal of a chairman, we have rules let us follow the rules”.

“Why do we want to bulldoze our way through, I do not have a clue, if they are not performing you can move them around, but there are rules”, he lamented.

Mr. K. T Hammond in an interview with journalists in Parliament pointed out that chairman of the Mines and Energy committee hinted him that, “haven’t you heard I was not consulted? They say they are moving me”.

The step down new composition of the committee William Agyepong Quattoo is being made the new chairman, whiles Emmanuel Akwasi Gyamfi the current chairman of Mines and Energy is being moved to Local Government and Rural Development.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Kenya’s Appointment committee visits Ghana

A five member delegation from Kenya’s Parliament had visited Ghana’s Parliament to observe workings of Ghana’s Appointment Committee, which vetted the first reshuffled Ministers and Deputy Ministers of President Nana Akufo-Addo.

They are Khatib A. Nwashefai leader of the delegation, David Ote Sankok nominated, Joshua Kimile elected, Lilian Chepto Tomi Tom elected and Lidiya Haika elected.

In an interview with the leader of the delegation Khatib A. Nwashefai, he noted that the delegation was in Ghana to observe the workings of Ghana’s Appointment Committee in the recent reshuffle made by the President.

He further pointed out that, Ghana runs a system different from what his country does and they had to learn from a different jurisdiction and added that in their case Ministers are from outside Parliament whiles Ghana had hybrid system.

The delegation had the opportunity to attend the vetting of the Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, who at the time was a Deputy Minister of Information.  And also observed the vetting of the Upper East Regional Minister, Paulina Tangoba Abayage   then Ghana’s Ambassador Italy.

Mr. Khatib A. Nwashefai noted that they wanted to know how, “hot the seat is as a Member of Parliament and coming outside the House, again being vetted by your colleagues I believe is quite different”, he pointed out.

It is a great opportunity for us from Kenya to know how Ghana goes about its vetting,  we manage to get some session that have been very educative to us; this is a committee to bench mark how  Parliaments works in other jurisdictions, he said.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Nyantakyi ban: “Let us respect the right of every individual”—Kobena Woyome

Ranking member of the select committee on Youth, Sports and Culture, Kobena Mensah Woyome is calling for the right of former Ghana Football Association President, Kwasi Nyantakyi and individuals to be respected.

According to the Ranking member on Youth, Sports and Culture, if you do not have anything against an individual and you try to push for something against someone it becomes persecution and not prosecution.

In an interview, he pointed out that going through the status of the Federation of International Football Association (FIFA) he knows we would get to a point where world football body would ban and fine Kwesi Nyantakyi.

“FIFA frowns on conflict of interest bribery, even big weight like Seth Blather went though this with the full support of the United States of America’s Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) they did a thorough work”.
He added that the former GFA boss has an option of appeal if he feels the ruling of FIFA is not proper.

And added that the Attorney General (AG) said there are no evidence to prosecute, so the case was dropped in Ghana, “this should be left for Ghanaians to judge”.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Ban by FIFA: AG is only interested in harassing people from NDC side—Adaklu MP

Member of Parliament (MP) for Adaklu, Govern Kwame Agbodza has taken a swipe at the Attorney General (AG), Gloria Akuffo for being only interested in harassing opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) members.

According to the Adaklu lawmaker he is surprised Ghana’s AG could not find any evidence to prosecute former Ghana Football Association (GFA) boss, but FIFA has gotten evidence to ban and fine Kwesi Nyantakyi.

He further added that in the future an AG would find an evidence to reopen the case, “no one is saying the video is the only evidence, did we hear FIFA say video is the only evidence from which it came to conclusion”, he questioned?

“We encourage the AG to look for evidence and take the right decision, AG is only protecting government, it is not easy to prosecute her own, how on earth can she tell us that she has no evidence”, he lamented.

Mr. Govern Kwame Agbodza added that he is not a lawyer, evidence exist otherwise the AG is not on top of her job, “protecting or perpetuating corruption”, he said.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

President Akufo-Addo should be concerned about development at FIFA—Agbodza

Member of Parliament (MP) for Adaklu has said President Nana Akuffo -Addo should be concerned with the development at FIFA since names of the Vice President Dr. Bawumia and senior people were mentioned.

According to the Adaklu legislator with such a grievous allegation, the Federation of International Football Association (FIFA) has gone ahead to punish one of their own who is a Ghanaian.

“Is government saying they do not have any evidence to prosecute Kwesi Nyantakyi, it is a usual government business in the case of the Australian visa scandal people were told to step aside, the committee exonerated the Deputy Minister and the boss of Ghana Sports Authority. But the crime was committed, show us the details of the report”?

Mr. Govern Kwame Agbodza added in an interview with journalists in Parliament that government is protecting itself, “they would not show us the evidence, it is disgraceful on the part of the Attorney General (AG) to say she does not have evidence”.

“When people ask is the video enough, I am not a lawyer if you see someone cutting another person’s head, would you say that is not evidence enough that killing did not take place, this is common sense, since Nyantakyi did not say he did not take the money is a disgrace AG can do better”, he lamented.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Five Ministers to take 14 questions next week

Five Ministers would be on the floor of Parliament to take fourteen questions in their name next week when the House sits from Tuesday to Friday.

On Friday morning when Leader of Government Business, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu presented business statement on the floor of the House, he indicated that there would be one urgent question whiles thirteen oral question would be taken.

Minister for Roads and Highways, Kwesi Amoako Atta is billed to take five question; Interior, Ambrose Dery has four questions in his name whiles Trade and Industry, Alan Kojo Kyeremanten would answer three questions.

Minister for Business Development and the Minister for Local Government and Rural Development would take a question each in their names.

Per the Standing orders of the House, Speaker Professor Aaron Michael Oquaye would admit statements, Bill, Papers and Reports that would be laid on the floor of the House, whiles the budget statement and economic policy of government for the year ending 31st December 2019 is expected to be presented third week of this month.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Parliament has started keeping to time

Parliament for three days in a role this week kept to its promise and started sitting ten o’clock in the morning from Wednesday the 31st of October, 2018 to the 2nd of November, 2018.
This was initiated by the Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu, when he pledged to the Speaker of Parliament, Professor Aaron Michael Oquaye that his side of the House would be early in the chamber for proceedings to kick start.

Mr. Haruna Iddrisu lamented and told the Speaker Ghanaians are not happy with parliament over the way and manner proceedings on the floor are started late, more especially when school pupils had to come and sit in the public gallery for hours.

From Wednesday to Friday this week any time the Speaker enters to start proceedings on the floor of the House, thirty (30) out of the two hundred and seventy five (275) would be present while other MPs join later in the day.

Majority Leader Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu further added that the House would have extended sitting in other to deal with the Right to Information Bill.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com