'The nation is 'grateful to the brave NDC MPs who stood for Ghana first' - NPP

Ghana

The governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) has congratulated its Members of Parliament (MPs) for ensuring that president Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo's ministerial and Supreme Court nominees were passed.

The party also expressed the nation's gratitude to opposition MPs who also defied the Minority position to reject the nominees to vote in the national interest.

"Kudos to our gallant MPs for standing firmly behind the Government and ensuring that the President’s nominees for Ministers of State and Deputy Minister as well as for the Supreme Court were approved! The nation is also grateful to the brave NDC MPs who stood for #GhanaFirst," the NPP posted on their official Twitter handle.

Parliament on Friday, March 24 approved all six ministerial nominees 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 six nominees got more votes than the minimum of 138 votes required because out of the 275 eligible voters, three were absent. The NPP thus had 136 MPs, same as the NDC.

After the ministerial vote, Parliament also voted on the report of two remaining Supreme Court justice nominees appointed by Akufo-Addo. The Minority had stated their position to reject the nominees in this case too.

At the end of a vote demanded by the Minority, both nominees were approved by a slight majority.

George Kingsley Koomson, Justice of the Court of Appeal got 139 YES votes against 133 NO votes, whiles Justice Ernest Yao Gaewu, Justice of the High Court got 138 YES and 134 NO votes.

Kudos to our gallant MPs for standing firmly behind the Government and ensuring that the President’s nominees for Ministers of State and Deputy Minister as well as for the Supreme Court were approved! The nation is also grateful to the brave NDC MPs who stood for #GhanaFirst. ????????

— New Patriotic Party (@NPP_GH) March 24, 2023

Below are the final figures for each nominee:

Total eligible 275

Absentees = 3

Total valid votes = 272

Hon 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

Yes = 152
No = 117
Rejected = 1
Abstentions = 2

Osei Bonsu Amoah

Yes = 149
No = 120
Abstention = 2

Stephen Amoah, deputy minister of Trade and Industry

Yes = 146
No = 123
Abstentions = 3

At the end of the voting, the results were as follows:

George Kingsley Koomson

YES = 139
NO = 133
REJECTED BALLOTS = 0
ABSTENTION = 0

Justice Ernest Yaw Gyau

YES = 138
NO = 134
REJECTED BALLOTS = 0
ABSTENTION = 0

The voting was conducted during an extended sitting of the House that saw speaker Alban Bagbin yield his seat to his two deputies to undertake the process which was marked by tensions given that the Minority had openly vowed to oppose the nominees.

“Hon Members, with this, this House has accordingly approved the nomination of His Excellency, the president of the following persons as Justices of the Supreme Court in accordance with Article 144 (2) of the 1992 Constitution:

“Justice George Kingsley Kingsley Koomson and Justice Ernest Yaw Gyau. On behalf of the House, let me congratulate the two nominees of the president into the Supreme Court of Ghana,” the second deputy speaker declared after announcing the results.