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    ‘The nation is ‘grateful to the brave NDC MPs who stood for Ghana first’ – NPP

    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.


    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.

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

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