The Member of Parliament (MP) for Cape Coast South with the Minority side, has alleged that some of his colleague parliamentarians sold out the minority caucus during the vote to approve ministerial and judicial appointees of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
According to Kweku George Ricketts-Hagan, some of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) MPs, used the position of strength that the minority caucus had to reject the approval of the appointees to negotiate deals with the government for their personal benefit.
“There are some people who don’t see the collective interest of what we are trying to achieve as a party. And that they are more interested in themselves making money as quick as they can and by selling the NDC minority caucus when we are in a position of strength. That if it looks as if we have something good that we talked about and intend to achieve, others use that to go and negotiate for their own selfish interest on the other side”, he lamented.
Speaking in an interview on TV3, on Saturday, the NDC MP, added that the leadership of the minority caucus knew that some of their members had been bought by the government.
Asked whether he implied that some of the NDC MPs were bribed, Rickettts-Hagan said, “Absolutely, no doubt”.
“Because things added up. Our leadership told us the number of people on our side that they are 100 per cent sure they have got. They told us. And is it a coincidence that the numbers happen to be the same?
“They went into a meeting and our opponents told them that we have bought your people so you have to be careful with what you are trying to do,” he added.
Kwaku Ricketts-Hagan, said the approval of all the ministerial nominees was a disgrace to the Minority and described this as a self-inflicted embarrassment.
“We the minority disgraced ourselves. After whipping up the excitement of people we are not going to approve the new ministers, we turn around and do otherwise” he said.
He added, “I have not slept since last night.”
Ricketts-Hagan, further said the approval was sabotage against the current minority leadership by supporters of the previous leaders.
He believes that some NDC lawmakers are still pained by the way and manner the previous leaders of the Minority were removed.
He, however, clarified that the previous leaders themselves may not have had a role to play in sabotaging the current leaders.
“This is sabotage,” he said on the Key Points on TV3 Saturday, March 25.
He further indicated that opposition lawmakers have embarrassed themselves by approving the nominees.
Parliament on Friday, March 24 approved all six ministerial nominees as well as the nominees of the supreme court of President Akufo-Addo after a heated debate, 24 hours prior, and a tense voting process.
Final results declared by Speaker Alban Bagbin showed that all nominees got more votes than the minimum of 138 votes required because out of the 275 eligible voters, there were three absent.
Some Members of Parliament (MPs) of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) did not adhere to the decision of the party to vote against the approval of the nominees.
Kobina Tahiru Hammond (MP for Adansi Asokwa) was approved as the Minister of Trade and Industry and Bryan Acheampong (MP for Abetifi) as the Minister of Food and Agriculture.
Other nominees who were approved include Stephen Asamoah Boateng, as Ministry of Chieftaincy; Mohammed Amin Adam, Minister of State (Ministry of Finance), and Osei Bonsu Amoah, Ministry of Local Government.
Stephen Amoah, the Member of Parliament for Nhyiaeso, was also approved as the Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry.
Same day, Parliament, through a vote, approved the nomination of Justice George Kingsley Koomson and Justice Ernest Yao Gaewu, for appointment as Justices of the Supreme Court.
Justice Kingsley Koomson, had 139 “Yes” votes, while 133 voted “No”. Justice Ernest Yao Gaewu, also had 138 “Yes” votes and 134 “No” votes.
This is how the MPs also voted on the day for the ministers:
Total eligible 275
Absentees = 3
Total valid votes = 272
KT Hammond, Minister for Trade and Industry
Yes = 154
No = 116
Rejected = 1
Abstention = 1
Bryan Acheampong, Minister for Food and Agriculture
Yes = 167
No = 98
Rejected = 1
Abstention = 3
Stephen Asamoah Boateng, Minister of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs
Yes = 147
No = 122
Abstention = 3
Mohammed Amin, Minister of State at the Presidency
Yes = 152
No = 117
Rejected = 1
Abstentions = 2
Osei Bonsu Amoah, Minister of Local Government and Decentralization
Yes = 149
No = 120
Abstentions = 2
Stephen Amoah, deputy minister of Trade and Industry
Yes = 146
No = 123
Abstentions = 3
