Sammi Awuku
The National Organiser of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Henry Nana Boakye, also known as Nana B, has called on individuals whose appointment into the Public Service have been revoked to exercise restraint as he initiates steps to battle it out in court.
In a social media message, Nana B described the move by the government as “unfounded”, as the President has failed to preserve and defend the Constitution of Ghana.
The National Organiser of the NPP said the termination of the appointment of these individuals were questionable, as they all followed due processes to secure their positions.
“Where is the legal justification for this action under our constitutional framework?” he quizzed, adding that President Mahama’s commitment to good governance should be extended to all sectors of the country and not to just a few individuals in the country and, therefore, vowed to use all possible avenues to overturn the decision.
The National Organiser of the NPP’s reaction is in response to a government directive that instructs all heads of government institutions to annul appointments made after the December 7, 2024 elections, citing non-compliance with good governance practices and principles.
The directive also mandates that a comprehensive report be submitted by February 17, 2025, on the actions taken to reverse these appointments.
Some members of the team prepared to support those whose appointment have been terminated include Nana Baffour Awuah, Nicholas Lenin Anane Adjei among others.
While many Ghanaians disagree with the decision by government that all those individuals are Ghanaians and were duly offered employment within the stipulated tenure of the NPP government and could not lose their jobs because of political expediency by the National Democratic Congress (NDC), others have also said that the NPP government after the December 7 elections could not offer employment for the current government to absorb that bill.
The former Majority Leader and former Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, for his part, said the NDC government cannot justify the termination since the processes of appointment of these people started in March 2024 but were issued letters after going through all the required processes expected of them.
Meanwhile, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Akuapem North, Sammi Awuku, has also condemned the recent directive issued by the Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, and has called on the President to reconsider the decision, warning that it sets a “dangerous precedence” and threatens the future of Ghanaian youths.
“Mr. President, this is a Dangerous Precedence! Kindly reverse it! The future of Ghanaian youths is at stake in your latest directive,” he stated.
Mr. Awuku pointed out the inconsistency between the current directive and the stance taken by the Akufo-Addo government in 2017.
At that time, he said a leading member of the NPP, Yaw Osafo-Maafo had suggested revoking appointments made after the 2016 elections, but the Akufo-Addo administration rejected this suggestion, calling it unconstitutional and inconsistent with democratic principles.
According to him, the NPP had respected the full mandate of President John Mahama, running until January 6, 2017, and did not follow through with the revocation of any appointments.
“Why is it different today?” Mr. Awuku asked. “In 2017, we respected the continuity of the Mahama administration. Why is this principle being abandoned now?”
“The Akufo-Addo government’s decision not to revoke appointments made to key positions such as Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), the Auditor-General, and the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) heads was based on the belief in due process and continuity,” Awuku noted.
By Ebenezer Amponsah & Ernest Adu