The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has reportedly commenced an investigation to find its Members of Parliament who defied the party’s orders to vote against the approval of ministerial and judicial appointees of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo

According to a report by TV3, the investigation is expected to last for 30 days and is being targeted at certain categories of MPs in the minority caucus.

The report said that a source close to the leadership of the NDC indicated that five groups of MPs in the minority group, including the group’s women caucus and first-term parliamentarians.

The women’s caucus is being investigated because of their close ties with some New Patriotic Party (NPP) MPs.

A young NDC MP who also allegedly lobbied for members of the minority caucus to go rogue in a previous approval of government appointees is also being investigated.

Below are the five groups in the NDC who are being investigated to find the ‘betrayers’:

MPs who have relationships and associations with the ministerial nominees who were approved. Two MPs, including a minister and deputy minister during the John Dramani Mahama administration, are under this category.

Senior NDC MPs, who have served in the House for several years, accused of engineering the sabotage against the current minority leaders because they are not happy about the change in leadership.

All first-time NDC MPs are also being investigated because they could have easily been influenced.

All female NDC MPs except the MP for Ketu South, Abla Dzifa Gomashie.

A young NDC MP from a constituency in the Greater Accra Region, who has a past record of engineering a previous sabotage.

Parliament approves all six nominees, two Supreme Court Justices:

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 Tahir 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.

The Supreme Court nominees who were approved include George Kingsley Koomson, Justice of the Court of Appeal, and Justice Ernest Yao Gaewu, Justice of the High Court.

IB/OGB