News:
January 22, 2018
Member of Parliament for Bawku Central, Mahama Ayariga has raised issue with the Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo for using an amended oath to swear in the Speaker of Parliament, Professor Aaron Oquaye yesterday as an acting President of Ghana.
The Bawku Central lawmaker made this known in an interview right after the swearing in ceremony done by the Chief Justice in Parliament House.
According to the Mahama Ayariga, the President of the Republic of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo led a team to perform a function in Liberia in the name of Ghana, hence the President was performing his constitutional duty which there should not be the need to swear in another President to act on his behalf.
He further noted that when the President and the Vice President are out of Ghana then the Speaker can take on the role as an acting President, but whiles in Liberia the President can perform his duty because the President in this case is able to perform his function.
And added it is “unnecessary” to swear in another President when the President is able to perform his duty, we have to review this practice.
He quoted Article 60 (11) “where the President and the Vice-President are both unable to perform the function of the President, the Speaker of Parliament shall perform those function until the President or Vice-President assumes office, as the case may be”.
The emphasis is when the President and the Vice-President are unable to perform their function, the Minority is “saying the President is in Liberia performing a function”, he said.
By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com