Author: Enestina GhanaMPs

The lists of members of the Appointment Committee to vet President John Dramani Mahama’s nominees are set and ready to begin work.

They are:
Majority
• Hon Bernard Ahiafor – First Deputy Speaker and Chairman of the Committee,
• Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah – Vice chair of the Committee
• Kwame Governs Agbodza,
• Mahama Ayariga,
• Agnes Naa Momo Lartey,
• Shaibu Mahama and
• Alhassan Umar.

Minority
• Alexander K. Afenyo-Markin – Ranking Member of the Committee
• Patricia Appiagyei – Deputy Ranking
• Annoh-Dompreh and
• Patrick Yaw Boamah.

Meanwhile, the revised Standing Orders make room for leadership of the sector Committee that has oversight of a Ministry to join the Appointment Committee in vetting, when a Nominee from the sector appears before the Appointment Committee.

The membership of the three committees, Appointment, Business and selection Committees are re-composed on the ration of 183:88 as contained in the report presented on the floor of the House and approve by the House.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Member of Parliament (MP) for Akuapen North, Sammi Awuku has said their side, the Minority will be a very effective, resilient and very formidable side in the 9th Parliament.

According to him it’s very clear that Ghana’s democracy has come of age looking at the level of civility and friendliness that exist among MPs, and despite the fact that the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) might be small, they will achieve a lot in the coming days.

Also the unity among us will be our strength. We are resolved just as our leaders in 1997, when they were just 61 MPs against 133 MPs from the NDC side, we did rise to the occasion, we worked hard and with determination and courage we were able to move beyond our barriers and recaptured our lost grounds, he said in an interview.

He noted that from all the meetings his side has had so far with our leadership in the minority and our resolve, “I am very confident that the NPP will give a very good account of itself, and myself I promise to be an effective member of the minority where we going to hold government accountable to its promises.”

“Again, we will scrutinize government’s policies and budget, so we are going to work effectively.”

As to what his constituents should expect from him as a first time MP, he noted that he will work both effectively on the floor of the House and in the interest of his constituents.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

President John Dramani Mahama has officially taken his oath of office as the president of Ghana.

He was sworn into office alongside his Vice President, Professor Jane Nana Opoku Agyeman, the first female Vice President of Ghana by the Chief Justice of the Republic Getrude Torkornoo on the 7th of January 2025 at the Black Star Square (Independence Square) in Accra.

This is the beginning of his second reign at the presidency having led the country from 2013 to 2016 when he failed in his attempt to renew his mandate with the people of Ghana.

Even before winning his first bid, he was compelled by circumstances to take over from Professor John Evans Atta Mills who he (John Mahama) was Vice to in 2012 when the president died while still serving his term.

President Mahama has since been trying his comeback having contested all presidential elections until lack shines on him in the 2024 election which gave him victory.

He received an overwhelming endorsement from the people of Ghana at the 2024 polls, beating his closest contender the incumbent Vice President and presidential candidate on the ticket of the ruling government with over one-point-seven votes.

The inaugural ceremony was attended by high profile delegations from across the world especially neighbouring countries including heads of state, diplomats, and representatives of international organizations, who were present to lend their supports.

The president in his inaugural speech promises to offer the needed hope to the people of Ghana, creating the needed atmosphere for economic development where businesses can flourish and create the needed employment for the people.

Dominic Shirimori/Ghanamps.com

The planned registration of newly elected Members of Parliament for the 9th Parliament of Ghana has been indefinitely postponed due to delays in the Electoral Commission’s (EC) transmission of the list of duly elected Members of Parliament following the December 2024 general elections.

Originally set for Monday, December 23, 2024 the registration was intended to initiate preparations for the new parliamentary session. However, the EC’s failure to meet the deadline has caused a disruption.

Parliament’s Secretariat issued a statement confirming the postponement, citing the absence of the certified list of MPs-elect from the EC as the primary reason.

Ghanamps.com saw some newly elected MPs going to National Investment Bank to open accounts whiles others use the opportunity to familiarize themselves with Parliament.

In a related development, Ghanamps.com saw MPs who could not retain their seats packing out of their offices.

While those who decided not to come back to the House on their own were also seen packing out.

Ghanamps.com

Cynthia Morrison, the incumbent Member of Parliament for Agona West and one of the four MPs in the vacant seat impasse in parliament has been expelled from the New Patriotic Party.

She was expelled alongside 279 other members with immediate effect from December 16, 2024, by the Agona West Constituency branch of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP).

The decision, taken unanimously at an Expanded Constituency Executive Committee meeting on December 15, 2024, imposes an indefinite ban on the expelled individuals.

The affected individuals are thus prohibited from representing themselves as party members, holding any party position, attending or participating in NPP meetings or activities, and using party symbols or flags.

They were expelled according to a release dated December 16, 2024, and signed by the Agona West Constituency Chairman, Alhaji Gibrin Tanko based on several complaints received from other party members against the said persons for:

• Standing as an independent candidate against (the officially elected parliamentary candidate of the Party;

• Joining or declaring their support for another Political Party;

• Supporting an independent candidate in the just-ended December 7, 2024, parliamentary election in Agona West Constituency

• Continuously demonstrating such character against the party in every election year.

Read below the full release.

Ghanamps.com

Minority Chief Whip, Governs Kwame Agbodza has accused the outgoing Akufo-Addo administration of fleecing Ghanaians with the E-gate initiative at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA).

He said that whereas it took the previous Mahama administration $250 million to build the entire Terminal 3 at the KIA, the Akufo-Addo administration spent $147 million to provide just the E-gate alone.

Addressing a press conference in Parliament on Wednesday, December 18, he said “The Vice President went to the airport attempting to launch something called e-gate. The truth is that the thing has been part of Terminal 3 at KIA. The debate was how it would be activated. The news of the activation of the gate should have been welcoming news; but the disaster and the embarrassment it cost. It is basically a new create, loot and share which the Vice President should have known better”.

“President Mahama spent $250 million to build the entire Terminal 3 at KIA but Vice President Bawumia actually looked on when an entity in this country proposed that the e-gate alone would be $200 million dollars. That amount has been revised to $150 million and today we are told it is still around $147million. What will be the justification for this? The Ministry of Finance and Ghana Immigration Service are in a rush to activate this and allow a private entity to fleece the people of this country.”

The E-gate system was expected to grant smooth and easy passage for passengers on arrival at the airport. It was thus expected to improve turnaround time for passengers on arrival. It is also expected to help check and deal with miscreants who may want to enter the country illegally.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

On Wednesday, December 18, 2024 in the hours of 10:00am two suspects namely Wisdom Ahlie, forty-two and Christopher Okyere, thirty-three were apprehended by the police in Parliament House for vandalizing windscreens and side glasses of parked vehicles in Parliament House.

In all five vehicles were involved; two Toyota Land cruisers belonging to Members of Parliament, a Toyota Rav 4, and two Toyota Camry belonging to staff of the parliamentary service.

A statement released by the director of media relations noted that an axe head was used in that operation, meanwhile the motive behind their action remain unknown.

The perpetrators have been handed over to the police service of Parliamentary unit to carry out further investigations into the matter.

Parliament has assured the public that there were no casualties; and the extent of the damage is yet to be determined.

Ghanamps.com

The Parliament of Ghana has appointed Mr. Ebenezer Ahumah Djietror as its new Clerk of Parliament after going through a fierce competition with two others.

He succeeds the current Clerk of Parliament, Mr. Cyril Kwabena Oteng Nsiah who will be attaining the compulsory retirement age of sixty years on February 2, 2025.
The decision to settle on Mr. Djietror was by the Board of the Parliamentary Service at its extra ordinary meeting held in November 2024.

Mr. Ebenezer Ahumah Djietror is an experienced lawyer by profession and one of the longest serving procedural clerks. In addition to serving as the Clerk at the Table of the legislature, he has in the past served as the clerk to various committees of Parliament including the committee on Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, the Business Committee, Committee on Judiciary as well as Committee on Foreign Affairs of Parliament.

A statement released by the Parliamentary Service on Wednesday, December 18, 2024, revealed that the Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin has already issued an appointment letter to the incoming Clerk.

This is to enable him to commence work from January 1, 2025 following a directive from the Speaker to Mr. Cyril Kwabena Oteng Nsiah to proceed on his due annual leave.

Swearing-in of new MPs

One of the visibly main tasks that will welcome the newly appointed Clerk to Parliament is to Chair and oversee the swearing-in of newly elected Members of Parliament and the Speaker for the 9th Parliament on January 7, 2025.

The incoming Clerk to Parliament is expected to conduct proceedings of the House without any difficulty.

The Speaker, Rt. Hon. Alban Bagbin is expected to formally announce to the House about the appointment of the new Clerk to honourable Members of Parliament before the House rises Sine Die for the Christmas holidays.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

The Minority members of Parliament are opposing tall order of business when the Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin presented business statement on the floor of the House on Monday, December 16, 2024 and indicated that the House should not seat beyond Friday, December 20, 2024.

According to the Majority Leader the government businesses presented are not new to the House since some of the businesses have been on the order paper since 2022, others as far back as May, 2024.

The whole of Monday, December 16, 2024 was wasted on agreeing to adopt the business statement on the floor of the House as the Minority indicated that the Majority should not commit the incoming administration with financial burdens.

The most contentious item was the thirty-third report of the Appointment Committee of the eighth Parliament on the approval of the nominees for the Supreme Court as vetted by the Appointment Committee.

The Effutu MP noted that a bad example should not be set because some members disagree with some portions of the business statement, so they want to vote against the business statement.

A business statement is presented, just express your opinion, if your opinion carries the day on a subject matter that is fine, but you do not say the entire report should be rejected, he said.

In the wake of the heated debate on the floor of the House, the Speaker Rt. Hon Alban Sumana Bagbin intervened pointing out that the House has been confronted with the subject matter they are looking at (approving judges when the lifespan of a parliament is just about terminating), and stated that when on the Committee of Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs which Nana Akufo-Addo now President then Ranking member of the Committee raised serious objection to the approval of judges when the lifespan of a parliament was few weeks to terminating, the then government had to drop those nominees; reasons given by the president who was MP at that time was that there was not time to do a thorough job.

The Speaker further added that, the Majority Leader should rather be pointing out ways of improving the issue that had previously confronted them.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Without any hint of who becomes the Speaker of the 9th Parliament of the fourth Republic which kicks start on January 7, 2025, Majority Leader, Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin suggests that whoever may be decided on should come from within parliament.

He did not hide his desire to see the new government under John Mahama to allow the current Speaker Rt. Hon. Alban Sumana Bagbin to continue in his current position.

According to him because the current Speaker is a former lawmaker, he was able to guide workings of the House with his experience. “We do not know if a new person is going to be appointed. Will they sack you with all you have done for them?” He queried.

Mr. Afenyo-Markin who was delivering his welcome message on the floor, the first meeting post the December 7, general elections noted that the NDC Minority cannot be predicted, and “if they decide to retain you, it will be the happiness of this House.
But if the new government decides to bring a new Speaker, the person should be from parliament; “we do not want an outsider, we want someone from within who understands the workings of the House”, he added.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com