Anane to make a comeback

...To Roads Ministry
Former Road Transportation Minister, Dr. Richard Winfred Anane, is due to be reappointed by President Kufuor this week, to head the same Ministry which he held until his melee with the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), which culminated in his resignation in September 2006.

The Chronicle?s Presidential sources, told the paper that the 54-year-old Medical Doctor was billed to be named by the President shortly after the Flagbearership elections of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) held in December last year. The appointment was however delayed because Parliament had gone on a break.

Dr. Anane was therefore scheduled to be re-nominated by the President immediately after the resumption of Parliament. The appointment was therefore to be announced about a fortnight ago when the Legislative Assembly reconvened after the Christmas break.

Days before the President was to make the announcement ahead of his departure for the African Union summit in Ethiopia, he was alerted by his Intelligence about what was described as a plot to embarrass him by a ?Mafia? within the NPP. The ?Mafia? have literally ganged up against the President and were alleged to be scheming with Party Legislators to scuttle Dr. Anane?s Ministerial come-back through a ?Parliamentary blockade.?

?The plot that was hatched was that the Parliamentary group will say that Dr. Anane?s reappointment would not be in favour of the image of the Party and thus would stay away from any process of approving his nomination by Parliament. It was a design to actually prove to the President that his powers are limited and that some of his decisions can also be stopped by other people,? a Presidential Intelligence person revealed to this Paper.

The Chronicle further gathered that, as a result of the Intelligence information, the President deferred the announcement of Dr. Anane?s reappointment till this week after asking his Aides and the prospective Nominee to do the necessary underground works that would ensure a smooth Parliamentary approval.

This development comes in the wake of signals of an emerging bi-polar show of power between the Presidency and the Party following the Flagbearership race in December last year. Though no specific evidence have been provided, sources close to Dr. Anane were quick to say that they suspect that supporters of the NPP Flagbearer, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo, of being behind the agenda to scuttle Dr. Anane?s comeback as Road Transport Minister.

Aides to the NPP Flagbearer could not be reached for their comments. Calls made to the phone of Mustapha Hamid, the Spokesperson of Nana Addo, went unanswered and a text message to that effect did not also attract any response. The Chronicle could not get Dr. Anane who is also the Member of Parliament for Nhyiaeso to comment on the matter though efforts were made to contact him personally and on phone.

Mr. Ken Anku, the ex-Minister?s Special Assistant during his Ministerial days and said to have maintained close links with the former Minister, told the paper that he would not be surprised to see his former boss re-appointed because of, ? his hard work and dedication to the execution of Government policies.?

He said he was however not aware whether his former boss would be re-appointed or not and could not comment on any attempt to scuttle Dr. Anane?s approval in Parliament if he is nominated by the President. ?For now, the President had been made aware of attempts to sideline him by some people in the Party and if there is any attempt to scamper Dr. Anane?s return, the President would then be convinced about Intelligence reports we have been giving him about how some of the top people in the Party are planning to frustrate him,? the Intelligence man noted.

Dr. Anane was embroiled in charges of Conflict of Interest, Corruption and Perjury following his sexual relationship with an American lady. The former Minister was dragged to CHRAJ on those charges after which the Commission found him guilty of Perjury and Conflict of Interest, but cleared him of the Corruption charges and recommended his dismissal by the President.

Dr. Anane, however, resigned from his Ministerial position and filed a suit at a high court which in turn quashed the findings of CHRAJ. An appeal filed by the Human Rights Commission is still pending but another complaint by the Commission at the Supreme Court was ruled in favour of Dr. Anane.

Following these, Supporters of the former Minister have argued that he ought to be reappointed. The president has also not left any doubts in the minds of Political A nalysts about the possible reappointment of Dr. Anane, his known Loyalist. The president has left the Road Transport Ministry without a substantive minister since Anane?s resignation.