The New Patriotic Party (NPP) MP for Adansi Asokwa has snubbed president Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo after being sidelined in the elephant-size ministerial appointments.
The outspoken lawmaker has rejected a board chairmanship offer from the president because he feels he is gone past such post, having served as a deputy energy minister in the erstwhile Kufuor administration.
Starrfmonline.com can confirm Mr. Hammond was offered the position of board chairman of Ghana Gas, but turned it down when the Chief of Staff broached the news to him. Inside sources within the corridors of power have confirmed there is a frosty relationship between President Akufo-Addo and the vociferous legislator.
Mr. Hammond, according to Starrfmonline.com sources at the presidency, said he rejected the Ghana Gas board chairman offer because he qualifies to be a sector Minister and accepting the position means he will be accountable to “even a deputy minister.”
K.T Hammond was at the frontline hitting the John Mahama government on issues about energy, hoping he will secure the Energy Minister portfolio when the NPP came to power only for it to be given to Mr. Boakye Agyarko.
“He’s not a happy man,” his close associate told Starrfmonline.com.
Starrfmonline.com understands Mr. Hammond was scheduled to be at the ceremony where President Akufo-Addo turned on the valves on the FPSO John Agyekum Kufuor to signal the formal production of oil in commercial quantities from the Sankofa oil and gas fields but failed to honour the invitation.
Starrfmonline.com can also confirm that in a bid to assuage the pain of Mr. Hammond, his colleagues in Parliament gave him the first choice to choose to become the chairman of the Mines and Energy Committee but he repudiated that too.
Mr. Hammond said he will speak about the issue at the appropriate time.
