NDC not settling personal scores at vetting

The Director of Communications of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Sammy Gyamfi  has said the rejection of some of President Akufo-Addo’s ministerial nominees who appeared before the Appointment’s Committee has nothing to do with settling personal interests.

This comes after the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party urged its members on the committee to reject the “insincere apologies” of some of the ministerial nominees.

“The meeting discussed among other things, the ongoing vetting of ministerial nominees and urged the NDC Parliamentary caucus to be firm and resolute in their duties on the Appointment Committee. It urged them to reject insincere apologies rendered by some of the nominees at the Vetting Committee sittings and hold them responsible for their actions and/or statements which violate the obligations imposed on Public Office Holders by the 1992 Constitution,” the NEC said in the statement signed by the General Secretary of the NDC, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah.

The public criticism however after the announcement was that, the NDC seeks to settle personal vindictiveness with some of the nominees.

Reacting to this in an interview on Citi FM’s ‘Eyewitness News’, Sammy Gyamfi argued that Ghana’s democracy will be weakened if Hawa Koomson, Minister-designate for Fisheries, Aquaculture Development, Owusu Afriyie Akoto, Minister-designate for Food and Agriculture among others are allowed to lead their respective roles.

According to him, the idea to instruct its MPs to be firm and resolute in their rejection of some of the nominees is in the country’s progress because such persons don’t qualify to hold public office.

“More than 20 nominees have been approved by the NDC side of the appointments committee so where is the personal scores here? I’m not sure if we had wanted to settle personal issues with anyone, we would have even approved one nominee of President Akufo-Addo. If we were settling personal issues as you say, we wouldn’t have even approved even one nominee.

“We have issues with some of their actions – this not about settling personal scores with people we disagree with, it is about holding those who have held public offices to account for their actions. It’s about the national interest; certain people are not fit to occupy public offices in this country. Minority in parliament will do a great disservice to this country if they go ahead to endorse them”