Knife, poisoned blade, treachery: Ablakwa 'down' as NDC MPs vote for Akufo-Addo’s ministers

Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, MP for North Tongu

North Tongu Member of Parliament, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has expressed disappointment at the outcome of a vote on six ministerial nominees of president Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

The MP posted a quote attributed to Ouida, philosophically stressing the pain that he felt by way of the impact that the outcome of the tense vote had on him.

The quote read: “There is no knife that cuts so sharply and with such poisoned blade as treachery.”

Parliament approves all six nominees, two Supreme Court Justices:

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 nominees got more votes than the minimum of 138 votes required because out of the 275 eligible voters, there were three absent.

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
Abesmtion = 2

Stephen Amoah, deputy minister of Trade and Industry

Yes = 146
No = 123
Abstentions = 3

Meanwhile, there is a debate on deciding on whether or not to take the vote on the remaining two Supreme Court justice nominees appointed by Akufo-Addo.

Out of the four that were appointed, two of them were approved, leaving George Kingsley Koomson, Justice of the Court of Appeal, and Justice Ernest Yao Gaewu, Justice of the High Court.

Watch the livestream below

You can also watch this episode of People & Places here:

Watch the latest episode of The Lowdown below:

SARA