Minority Leader in Parliament, Alexander Kwamina Afenyo-Markin
The Minority Leader in Parliament, Alexander Kwamina Afenyo-Markin, has raised concerns about the absence of a Cabinet, citing constitutional requirements.
Ahead of the vetting of the Minister-Designate of Roads and Highways, Governs Kwame Agbodza, on Monday, January 20, 2025, he noted that following the constitutional objections raised earlier by the Minority, the Presidency had taken steps to address the issue correctly this time.
“Mr. President himself has signed a letter, which letter is dated 16th January 2025, signed by himself with his full name. However, we are concerned about some other matters contained in the letter, one of which is the fact that this letter has been copied to the Secretary to Cabinet, Cabinet Office, Jubilee House, Accra,” he elaborated.
Quoting Article 76 of the Constitution, Afenyo-Markin stated, “76(1) There shall be a Cabinet which shall consist of the President, the Vice President and no less than 10 and not more than 19 Ministers of State.
“76(2) The Cabinet shall assist the President in the determination of general policy of the government. 76(3) There shall be a Secretary to the Cabinet who shall be appointed by the President.”
He argued that there must first be a Cabinet in place as required by the 1992 Constitution.
“In our view as the Minority, there must first be a Cabinet. Here we are — we’ve only considered three nominees. None of the nominees earlier interviewed has had a report duly moved on the floor to be taken, approved, and sworn in,” he asserted.
The Minority Leader also pointed out that while the President had made key appointments such as a Secretary, a Chief of Staff, and a security adviser, the absence of a Cabinet undermines constitutional governance.
“These are matters of constitutional importance. There is no such Cabinet yet. You cannot place something on nothing; it will fall. That is a rule,” he said.
He continued, “The constitution provides for a Cabinet, and we agree that that Cabinet would have a secretariat. But there is no such Cabinet in place. The president has not even announced the appointment of a Secretary to Cabinet yet to be formed. So, Mr. Chair, we insist that this is being done in good faith.”
Afenyo-Markin clarified that the Minority’s position was not to obstruct the government’s progress.
“We do not do this to obstruct government. In fact, for the records, this is the first time that major appointment nominations are being considered expeditiously because our side is of the view that the government must be in shape to get the country moving. We don’t want the country to be run by civil servants at the various ministries, which is the reason we are cooperating with government,” he stated.
He emphasised the need for adherence to constitutional provisions to ensure proper governance.
JKB/AE
Watch the vetting below: