President Akufo-Addo’s inability to name members of his cabinet three months after being sworn in as the commander-in-chief of the Ghana Armed Forces is worrying and unhealthy for the country’s democracy, a former presidential staffer Dr. Clement Apaak has stated.
According to him, the delay does not speak well of Akufo-Addo’s democratic credentials given that his predecessor, John Mahama announced his cabinet members immediately after swearing in his ministers.
The constitution allows a maximum of 19 members of cabinet.
Speaking to Starr News Wednesday, the Builsa North lawmaker mocked the president’s declaration during his first State of the Nation Address (SONA) that he was in “hurry” to fix the challenges facing the country saying “you are in hurry…when are you going to announce the composition of your cabinet.”
He said the Ghanaian populace deserve to know “which of the over thirty-six substantive ministers is going to sit in cabinet.”
“Yes the constitution per article seventy-six say the president can have not less than nine and not more than nineteen and I will expect that government business is ongoing…who are those that the government is consulting…who is a member of the president’s cabinet. The people of Ghana deserve to know.
“This is even more important because of the creation of new Ministries and I think that if the president truly wants us to believe that he is in a hurry…the announcement of who is a member of his cabinet must also be factored…,” said Dr. Apaak
Many analysts believe the President will have an arduous task settling on who makes the list given the new portfolios created.
