The Minority in Parliament has accused President John Mahama of violating Section 4(1) of the Presidential Office Act by making appointments to his office without consulting the Council of State, as required by the Constitution.
In a press briefing on Wednesday, January 22, Patrick Boamah, the Member of Parliament for Okaikwei Central, stated that despite the Council of State not yet being constituted, the President has proceeded with appointments to the Office of the President without clarifying that these decisions are provisional.
“We believe that the appointment of the Cabinet Secretary was not made in accordance with the constitution. We are asking that the proper procedures be followed,” Boamah insisted, calling on the President to withdraw the appointment letters and rectify the breach.
In addition to the constitutional concerns, the Minority raised serious issues about President Mahama’s recent foreign policy move, namely the appointment of an envoy to the Sahel region.
The MPs questioned the necessity of such an appointment, pointing out that Ghana has no historical ties with the Sahel states and is a non-aligned nation.
The Minority accused the President of altering the country’s foreign policy without proper consultation and demanded an explanation. “Ghana is a non-aligned nation with respect to the Sahel nations, so we want to understand the rationale behind this foreign policy shift,” they said.
