The approval was done by only Majority Members of Parliament because the Minority staged a walkout during the debate on the Floor of the House.

[contextly_sidebar id=”jlkgpCU1oFW2RiEJ43AFDu2SbS6Ob6Ll”]It appears the House was bent on getting the agreement through before it rises for recess.

“This House adopts the report from the joint committee on defense and interior,” the Speaker of Parliament, Professor Mike Oquaye said after the approval.

Prior to staging the walkout, the Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, spoke for close to 17 minutes giving a litany of reasons why they believe the agreement should not be ratified by Parliament.

Cabinet approves MoU

Ghana’s Cabinet had agreed to provide the US’ military troop a place near the Kotoka International Airport, and also give them unhindered access to some key installations following a Memorandum of Understanding between the government of Ghana and the US government.

The MoU was laid before before Parliament on Tuesday recommending to Parliament to ratify the agreement, but it was rejected by the opposition in Parliament.

With the agreement ratified, it means that the US troops will among other things be exempted from paying taxes on equipment that are brought to Ghana as well as use Ghana’s radio spectrum for free.

The troops and their equipment will also have unhindered access to the US forces and their equipment.

Although many Ghanaians have expressed resentment over the clauses of the agreement, the Defence Minister, Dominic Nitiwul, said the agreement is in the best interest of Ghana.

The Government has consistently explained that it was only respecting the existing Status of Forces Agreement with the US signed since 1998 and reviewed in 2015, under the previous NDC administration.

But the NDC Minority has downplayed this argument saying the agreement as existed in the past, did not have the same clauses like the current one that gives the US unlimited access to Ghana’s military facilities.

The US Embassy in Ghana has also explained that it is only planning joint security exercises with Ghana, which will require that US military personnel are allowed access to Ghana’s military facilities, and that they are not building a military base.

“The current Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) between the United States of America and the Republic of Ghana is approximately 20 years old. It does not cover the current range and volume of bilateral exercises and assistance. This year, the United States of America is investing over $20 million in training and equipment for the Ghanaian armed forces. Ghana is also once again preparing to train U.S forces – as it did in 2017. The United States and Ghana are planning joint security exercises in 2018, which require access to Ghanaian bases by US participants and those from other nationals when included,” a statement from the US Embassy said.

Minority blocks report

The Minority on Thursday blocked the laying before Parliament, the report of the Joint Committee on Defence and Interior and Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, on the agreement seeking to ratify the hosting of  US military troops in Ghana.

It was however laid today, Friday, March 23, 2018, and subsequently approved late hours on the same day.

‘Protests today, expect more Wednesday’

Earlier today [Friday], a number of protesters who tried to gain access to Parliament to kick against the anticipated approval of the deal were prevented from entering the House.

The main entrance of the House was shut with strict access checks being conducted for members of the public and workers seeking to enter.

The protesters however chanted slogans and songs outside the House.

The leader of the protesters, a suspended CPP executive member, Ernesto Yeboah, who was dissatisfied with Parliament’s decision, said they posed no threat to the security of the House.

“Are we holding guns? So on what basis are we disallowed from entering Parliament to have a sight of the proceedings in Parliament? They have absolutely no basis to restrain us from entering to have a sight of the proceedings. We are going to enter, we are going to sit down, we are going to observe the rules of Parliament.

Hosting US soldiers will trigger terror attacks – NDC

The NDC at a news conference on Thursday, said Ghana could become a target for extremists if the agreement was allowed to go through.

The General Secretary of the party, Asiedu Nketia, who said this indicated that a ratification of the agreement will send wrong signals which could subsequently make Ghana vulnerable to attacks.

‘We’ll review deal in 2021’

He indicated that, the deal, if ratified by Parliament, will be suspended and reviewed by the NDC if it returns to office in 2021.

“We wish to state here and now that if President Akufo-Addo and his NPP administration proceed to ratify the agreement despite protests and public sentiments, the NDC administration which will assume the reins of government in 2021, will suspend the agreement and initiate a far reaching review.”

‘You can’t compare ‘military base’ deal to Gitmo 2′ – Ablakwa

Minority Spokesperson on Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, had said that the previous John Mahama administration’s handling of the hosting of the two Ex-Guantanamo Bay detainees in Ghana, cannot be compared the current government’s handling of the proposed US military camp in the country.

This is in spite of the fact that the Supreme Court declared that agreement illegal because it wasn’t approved by Parliament.

Some Ghanaians had questioned the Minority’s moral right to take on government seeing the controversy that surrounded the hosting of the ex-Gitmo two who have now become a burden for the government.

But speaking on Eyewitness News, Mr. Ablakwa refuted these claims, insisting that unlike this current deal, the previous government consulted key stakeholders, including political party leaders before sealing the Gitmo two agreement.

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By: Godwin Akweiteh Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
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According to the Minority Spokesperson on Finance, Cassiel Ato Forson, the GNPC is investing huge sums of the tax payers’ funds into Gold mining, road construction and other areas that have no bearing on the focus of the entity which is in the petroleum sector.

Parliament on Thursday approved the 2018 work programme for the state petroleum company.

Speaking to Citi News after the approval, Ato Forson indicated that, the current management of GNPC is leading the entity unto the wrong path.

“Basically, I am concerned about GNPC. GNPC has decided not to focus on their core mandate. I say this because the programmes that we approved today is something that stinks. GNPC is deviating from their core mandate as enshrined in law. For some strange reason, GNPC is saying they are going to spend 20 million dollars for the purposes of building their head office in Accra. In spite of that, they have an existing head office and they are saying they are spending 13.4 million cedis to renovate that office. What at all are they renovating?” he quizzed.

“Let us not forget that the same people have budgeted 20 million dollars to build a head office in Accra.  Again they are saying they are going to spend another 10 million dollars to build an operational office in Takoradi. I grew up in Takoradi and I do not know of a building that will cost 10 million dollars. They are also saying they will spend 2 million dollars to build a clinic… They are deviating from their core mandate. I think we should get GNPC to focus on their core mandate and not deviate from what they are doing. I think it is appalling.”

Meanwhile, the Energy Minister, Boakye Agyarko said the GNPC is better off under its current management which had even secured over 50 million dollars in savings of the initial cost of putting up a headquarters.

“For a GNPC headquarters that was projected to cost 76 million, we thought it was a ridiculous amount and so GNPC was instructed to look at the project again. What we have been able to do is to scale down the project and also commit 20 million dollars to the project.

“Obviously at the end of the project, we expect plus or minus another 2 million so when the charge was made that 20 million is excessive, I wanted to point out to my friends on the other side that we had actually climbed down from 76 to 20 million.”

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By: Marian Ansah & Duke Mensah Opoku/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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In a brief protest between the two sides in Parliament today [Thursday], the leadership of the Majority said the report was ready to be laid before the House to allow for debate.

However, the Minority disagreed, insisting that the report wasn’t ready.

[contextly_sidebar id=”5C8mqBiOVbotBaxwCipz5AVnOTiFRs9I”]Deputy Majority Leader, Adwoa Safo, said she had been informed by the Chairman of the Committee that “the report is ready, but it is not being taken today, we are only laying it and the report will be taken tomorrow [Friday].”

The Deputy Minority Leader, James Avedzi, disagreed and said: “The indication I have from the ranking member of the committee says that the 5(C) is not ready so I don’t know where the chairman is coming from. So the report for this agreement is not ready,” he stated.

The Speaker subsequently ruled that the laying of the report should be skipped until the two sides can come to a consensus on it.

“If the report is ready it is ready. If it is not ready, you negotiate and if there is a negotiation and there is understanding I [will] proceed. [But] it appears there is clearly no negotiation so no progress.”

NDC MP walks out of Committee meeting

A Member of the Committee and member of the Minority in Parliament, Rockson Dafeamekpor, on Wednesday walked out of a meeting to consider an agreement with the United States of America for a defence cooperation arrangement that will allow them to have a camp in Ghana for its military forces.

Mr. Dafeamekpor, said the agreement which had been brought before the House for ratification had not been signed by government, hence his decision to leave the meeting.

“As a Member of Parliament, I cannot be part of a process that will go and vary the terms of a memorandum that is yet to be signed. There is no signature on the memorandum. The memo accompanying the memorandum to Parliament says in paragraph three that Cabinet approved the memorandum and approved and recommended same for Parliament for ratification. So the exercise we are being called upon to engage in is to ratify. We are simply to look at it and by consensus or voting approve of the agreement,” he said.

Nitiwul lays document in Parliament

The Minister of Denfense, Dominic Nitiwul, on Tuesday laid before Parliament the document seeking to ratify an agreement for space around the Kotoka International Airport, which will serve as a camp for some US military forces in Ghana.

The agreement will among other things, exempt the US government from paying taxes on equipment that is brought to Ghana.

They will also be given the chance to set their own telecommunication system, although they will be allowed to use Ghana’s radio spectrum free of charge.

Although many Ghanaians have expressed resentment over the clauses of the agreement, the Defence Minister, Dominic Nitiwul, said the agreement is in the best interest of Ghana.

The United States Embassy in Ghana also denied reports that the US government is planning to establish a military base in Ghana.

It said it is only planning joint security exercises with Ghana, which will require that US military personnel are allowed access to Ghana’s military facilities.

But the Minority had called on government to withdraw the agreement in its current form, saying it is not in the best interest of Ghana.

‘Ghanaians not ready to live with foreign troops’ – Rawlings
Former President Jerry John Rawlings, also waded into the controversy and said “Ghanaians may love Americans but not to the extent of living with [the] foreign troops,” he said.

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By: Godwin Akweiteh Allotey & Duke M. Opoku/citifmonline.com/Ghana
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Mr. Dafeamekpor, a member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Minority, said the agreement that had been brought before the House for ratification had not been signed by government, hence his decision to leave the meeting.

“As a Member of Parliament, I cannot be part of a process that will go and vary the terms of a memorandum that is yet to be signed. There is no signature on the memorandum. The memo accompanying the memorandum to Parliament says in paragraph three that Cabinet approved the memorandum and approved and recommended same for Parliament for ratification. So the exercise we are being called upon to engage in is to ratify. We are simply to look at it and by consensus or voting approve of the agreement,” he said.

[contextly_sidebar id=”yarlq2RMkBDDoIVTOrhjNzVVeFN5bOxT”]“The document they have brought to Parliament is neither an agreement nor a Bill. So we are asking the government to do the appropriate thing. They should take back the memorandum, execute it and bring it to Parliament for our ratification.”

Nitiwul lays document in Parliament

The Minister of Denfense, Dominic Nitiwul, on Tuesday laid before Parliament a document seeking to ratify an agreement for space around the Kotoka International Airport, which will serve as a camp for some US military forces in Ghana.

The agreement will among other things, exempt the US government from paying taxes on equipment that is brought to Ghana.

They will also be given the chance to set their own telecommunication system, although they will be allowed to use Ghana’s radio spectrum free of charge.

Although many Ghanaians have expressed resentment over the clauses of the agreement, the Defence Minister, Dominic Nitiwul, said the agreement is in the best interest of Ghana.

The United States Embassy in Ghana also denied reports that the US government is planning to establish a military base in Ghana, saying “This year, the United States of America is investing over $20 million in training and equipment for the Ghanaian armed forces. Ghana is also once again preparing to train U.S forces – as it did in 2017. The United States and Ghana are planning joint security exercises in 2018, which require access to Ghanaian bases by US participants and those from other nationals when included.”

It said it is only planning joint security exercises with Ghana, which will require that US military personnel are allowed access to Ghana’s military facilities.

Speaking to Citi News after walking out of the meeting, Mr. Dafeamekpor, who is also the MP for South Dayi, called on government to withdraw the document from Parliament, make the necessary amendments before re-laying in the House.

“They [government] want to use the backdoor process to leave the agreement for Parliament to review so that if there is a problem tomorrow then Parliament will be blamed. We have discovered this fundamental flaw in terms of procedure, and I’m bringing it to the attention of every well-meaning Ghanaian that this procedure is flawed, it ought not to be accepted, Parliament is being hoodwinked,” he said.

“Nobody realized and raised the fundamental issue on the floor, so we are raising it here at the committee level, but they are not minded to agree. But I don’t think me as a Member of Parliament will be part of this process. What they are doing, they are asking us to be part of the negotiation, it is not our role,” the South Dayi MP added.

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By: Godwin Akweiteh Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
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According to him, the action was undertaken by a backup troop of the Operation Vanguard task-force to bring to an end the  menace of illegal sand winning.

A contingent of armed military personnel set fire to the equipment used for sand winning in the Dalun River, a tributary of the White Volta.

The action was allegedly taken by the military after several warnings to sand winners to stop their illegal activity close to the river yielded no results.

[contextly_sidebar id=”WpWBsb7EMFYRF9X0lR9iSzRzKoutVkM9″]Responding to a statement from the Member of Parliament for Kumbungu, Ras Mubarak on the incident which took place last week, Dominic Nitiwul said, the soldiers had to resort to such an action to deal with the recalcitrant illegal miners.

“Their aim was to arrest the illegal miners, illegal sand winners and prosecute them like they have been doing elsewhere, but each time the people run away and they even dug more. Even those who were legally given the license were asked to stop and they have, but in this case it was worse off because they did not even have any permit to go there.

“They were operating illegally. They did not have the permit. The Military went there for the fifth time and decided that they were sending a very strong signal to anyone who decides that they will take the law into their own hands,” he said on the floor of Parliament.

Minority to sue over burning of tipper trucks

The Minority caucus in Parliament had earlier stated that it will support a court action by the affected persons against the state.

The Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, said the burning of the said tipper trucks was unlawful.

“The wicked burning of those 14 tipper trucks is excessive and extrajudicial and therefore legally unjustifiable and untenable, and we will pursue this matter to its utmost and logical conclusion. Nothing will stop us from asking for adequate compensation for the affected persons as due process was not respected and upheld,” he said.

“Rights have been disrespected and rights have been breached. The right to own property and the right to own a tipper truck for the purpose of livelihood has been undermined.”

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By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @EfeAnsah

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GCB bank took over the two banks in 2017 with the permission of the BoG because they were unable to increase the capital requirements needed for their operations.

The Minority in its letter made three demands including being furnished with the purchase and assumption transaction document to update themselves on the issues that warranted the takeover.

[contextly_sidebar id=”PdviNrOLd4AGZ4VijWdRLX202yySl0Ec”]Speaking to Citi News’ Parliamentary correspondent, Duke Mensah Opoku on Wednesday, the Minority Spokesperson on Finance, Cassiel Ato Forson, said the group is only seeking further clarity on the transaction.

“We are asking for clarity in the provision of certain information that we deemed outstanding, relating to the two banks that were liquidated of which the central bank signed and purchased an assumption transaction with GCB. As we speak, the public does not know anything about it. We have read from an IMF document that says that the government of Ghana represented by the Ministry of Finance is going to arrange some bond issuance, about one percent of GDP which is about 1.6 to 2 billion cedis to defray the cost relating to the collapse of the two banks.”

“The argument is that who is going to pay? Is it going to be a public debt? The bond is going to be serviced through the consolidated fund and I know that as we speak, plans are far advanced, they’ve completed the discussion on the debt and it has come to about GHc2 billion.”

Ato Forson complained that as representatives of the people of Ghana, “we don’t seem to have any information about it, and it is important that, at the minimum, that ought to have come to Parliament for approval and the people’s representatives get copies of the purchase and the assumption transaction that the central bank signed with the GCB bank.”

The other two technical issues the Minority members are demanding clarity on include the cutoff rules as enshrined in the public financial management act, and the financial administration regulation as well as clarity on a supposed 7 billion outstanding arrears which they said had been adjusted.

Unibank moves to control majority interest in adb

This comes on the back of a purported control of the Agricultural Development Bank (adb) by Unibank.

Belstar Capital, Starmount Development company, EDC as well as SIC Financial Services Limited, have all allegedly pledged their shares, proceeds, entitlement and voting rights to Unibank hence giving Unibank power over adb.

CEO of Unibank, Dr. Kwabena Duffour Jr. confirmed on the Citi Breakfast Show on Wednesday that per the deal “we have the power and control to change it from adb. Down the line we might decide to do a proper transfer where we will need the approval of the various regulatory bodies but for now we have the power and control over it.”

Meanwhile, adb has however been suspended by the Ghana Stock Exchange, and the Bank of Ghana has also described the supposed deal as “null and void.”

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By: Godwin Akweiteh Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @AlloteyGodwin

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According to Citi News‘ Parliamentary correspondent, Duke Mensah Opoku, the Minority resumed their sit-down strike after the Speaker refused to acknowledge their leader Haruna Iddrisu who had wanted to make a submission.

This is not the first time the Minority has expressed their displeasure of alleged bias against them by the Speaker, but it is the first time they have refused to contribute in Parliament over the treatment.

They had taken a similar action in the past, refusing to comment on any business in the House after a report was presented to the House by the ‘cash-for-seat’ Committee which they felt did not include the input of its members on the said Committee.

That was a day after they staged a walkout in Parliament when an investigative report was being debated.

‘Mike Ocquaye the worst Speaker’

Deputy Minority Leader, Jame Klutse Avedzi, described Mike Oquaye as the worst Speaker of the Fourth Republic, insisting that his actions were unfortunate, despite him being ‘a Reverend’.

He said that it was important that Ghanaians see how the Minority was being treated in Parliament even though they were only acting in the interest of the country.

“We have always been responsible as a Minority. In fact, Ghanaians should know that the NDC Minority is responsible. We want the Ghanaian people to be the judges, they should see what is happening,” he told journalists.

“We have had a number of Speakers in this country. We’ve had DF Annan, Peter Ala Adjetey, Sekyi Huges, Bamford Addo, Doe Adjaho and now we have a Reverend Speaker and this is the way he’s behaving. If you want to rank him among the six so far, he’s the worst.”

‘Threat to democracy’

The Minority Chief Whip, Muntaka Mubarak. earlier in March, accused the Speaker of Parliament, Professor Mike Oquaye of being a threat to Ghana’s democracy saying “Mobutu [Sese Seko] or even Idi Amin will not behave the way he is doing.”

According to Muntaka, the Speaker has on several occasions refused to give the Minority the opportunity to make their views on some issues that come up for discussion on the floor, although they have such rights.

Muntaka felt that he had been ignored by the Speaker despite wanted to suggest that every Member of Parliament (MP) is given the opportunity to vote the way they wanted on the controversial Law School Regulations.

Minority members who were also not happy with the issue hooted at the Speaker and chanted loudly in Parliament.

‘I will disrespect you if you dare me’

Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, had expressed similar sentiments against the Speaker whom he said ignored him when he wanted to make a comment on the Floor of the House.

Haruna Iddrisu threatened to disregard the authority of the Speaker of Parliament if such actions persist.

This followed what he describes as the Speaker’s failure to recognize him when he wanted to make an intervention during the debate on the Special Petroleum Tax last month, February 2018.

“I am sad at the way you have treated me as Minority Leader. I stood up before the Majority Leader. You owe me that courtesy and that respect. Mr. Speaker, even after hearing him [Majority Leader], you have still not decided whether to hear me or not,” he said.

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By: Edwin Kwakofi/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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Commenting on the recent insecurity, the Minority held that the NPP had lost control of the monster it had created.

Though violent crime has marred 2018 so far, 2017, the NPP’s first year in office was noted for the activities of vigilante groups which terrorized government installations nationwide throughout the year.

The Kumasi-based Delta Force notably stormed a court to free some of its members that were standing trial in a Kumasi circuit court.

Dropping one of his trademark proverbs at a press conference on Friday Morning, the Minority’s Spokesperson, A.B.A. Fusseini, said “if you transform your son into a monster, you will be among the first to be devoured.”

Also at the press conference, the Minority Spokesperson on Defence and Interior, James Agalga, alleged that some members of these vigilante groups received special training at Asutsuare in the Shai Osudoku district.

Aside from this, Mr. Agalga further claimed that the controversial ex-police officers from South Africa, said to have been invited to Ghana in 2016 to train NPP security personnel, were again brought back into the country.

“We have alluded to the fact that some members of the vigilante groups have been trained at Asutsuare. We have the facts. Mercenaries who were brought into this country in the run-up of the 2016 elections came back into this country and took part in the training of some of those elements.”

“We are saying that when you train people in that manner and you don’t engage them actively, what do you expect? There is a correlation and we are not running away from that fact,” Mr. Agalga stated.

The ‘South African mercenaries’

The mercenaries Mr. Agalga made reference to are three South African former police officers who sparked controversy in the build-up to the 2016 elections.

They are alleged to have been invited by the NPP to train the security detail of Nana Akufo-Addo and Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia.

They were said to be training 15 men in various security drills, including unarmed combat, weapon handling, VIP protection techniques and rapid response exercises.

They were arrested on Sunday, March 20, 2016 at a hotel in the Central Region.

The three, Ahmed Shaik Hazis, 54; Warrant Officer Denver Dwayhe, 33, and Captain Mlungiseli Jokani, 45 were charged with conspiracy to commit crime and unlawful training.

They were eventually deported from Ghana on March 29 after their entry visas were revoked by the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS).

Critics suggested that the NPP brought in the South Africans to train persons to cause trouble in the 2016 elections.

But the party rubbished those claims, saying the critics, particularly the NDC, was only seeking to score cheap political points.

The party said the three men were in Ghana not for any acts that can be said to remotely threaten the country’s security.

I hope recent robberies are not politically motivated – Rawlings

In the wake of the increased robberies and the violent crime, Former President Jerry John Rawlings has said that he hopes the heightened insecurity is not politically motivated.

In a statement on social media, he noted some concern that some persons may be orchestrating the upsurge in crime for parochial motives.

“Let us hope the recent robbery and killings is downright plain robbery and not a politically motivated action from within or without, calculated to undermine those in charge of the security machinery in order to pave the way for certain parochial ambitions,” the former President stated.

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Recent robberies linked to NPP vigilante groups – Minority appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

This he said would ensure that the Scheme is put on the right footing to deliver quality healthcare to Ghanaians.

[contextly_sidebar id=”mTxL4DrOd6EhcA3vmHbHML3iHd8I6tTz”]“National Health Insurance Scheme was instituted to resolve the issues of families when it comes to access to primary healthcare, and was certain to improve healthcare,” he said.

Making a statement on healthcare as citizens’ right, Dr. Kuganab-Lem indicated that, the NHIS if properly managed would be of immense benefit to the country.

The National Health Insurance Scheme [NHIS], was established under the National Health Insurance Act 2003, Act 650, in 2003, to provide quality healthcare services to Ghanaians.

The National Democratic Congress NDC],in 2017 accused the New Patriotic Party (NPP) of lying its way into power, with exaggerated promises concerning the state of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

The National Organizer of the NDC, Kofi Adams, said the NPP in the health section of its 2016 manifesto, claimed that the previous NDC administration had collapsed the scheme in their eight-years stay in office.

The Scheme has had financial challenges as it owes many service providers millions of cedis. The current government is currently clearing the debts, and is also looking for sustainable ways of funding the Scheme.

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By: Farida Yusif/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show, MP for Bawku Central, Mahama Ayariga, said, even before the vetting by Parliament’s Appointment Committee, they had collectively agreed to pass Martin Amidu.

This is in spite of the fact that the Appointments Committee is yet to release its report on the nominee

[contextly_sidebar id=”tCx6jhR0bTUKV0GHFoRWHiLXvnuX1ErP”]“We overwhelmingly as a minority had taken the decision that we will pass him any day,  because people out there perceived that we were afraid of him and we wanted to show that we are afraid of nobody,” he said.

According to him, the NDC is very much interested in dealing with corrupt persons within the party and cannot be scared if the new government has to do same.

“I mean the NDC is bigger than any single person who might have committed an offence in the NDC regime, we saw it in NDC, some ministers were arrested, they were trailed, went to jail, it did nothing to NDC, the rank and file re-mobilized, chose new leadership, fought and recaptured power,”he said.

He noted that, the Minority will subject Mr. Amidu to scrutiny from every angle to make sure he delivers on all his responsibilities as a Special Prosecutor.

Martin Amidu on Tuesday, February 13, faced Parliament’s Appointments Committee in what could probably be the longest ever parliamentary vetting sessionfor a single individual in the 4th Republic.

The Special Prosecutor nominee responded to over 180 questions from all members of the committee in the over 7-hour long session.

The National Democratic Congres (NDC) Minority asked the most questions; 75% of all questions asked, with the caucus’ leader, Haruna Iddrisu, being the individual who asked the most number of questions.

Most of the questions focused on past statements and articles Martin Amidu had written.  There is, however, a pending suit at the Supreme Court by NDC member and former Deputy Attorney General Dominic Ayine, challenging Amidu’s nomination.

He argues that Mr. Amidu, 66, has passed the age that requires him to serve in that office.

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By: Farida Yusif/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post We passed Martin Amidu before his vetting – Mahama Ayariga appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.