shun all apologies from vetting nominees- NDC NEC to its MP

The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) is urging its members on Parliament’s Appointments Committee to reject the “insincere apologies” of some ministerial nominees who have appeared before the committee for vetting.

NDC’s NEC in a statement said its MPs must be firm and resolute in their contributions to the committee and ensure that such nominees are held responsible for their statements.

The party gave the order in a statement issued after an emergency meeting held in Accra on Monday, March 1, 2021.

“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.

There are 13 members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) on the Appointments Committee who sit through the vetting process currently ongoing in Parliament.

Over 30 nominees have so far been vetted. There were instances where some of the nominees apologized for some past comments and claims they made especially against former President John Dramani Mahama and the National Democratic Congress.

Others also apologized for some actions they took in the past.

The nominee for the Fisheries and Aquaculture, Mavis Hawa Koomson for instance apologized for firing a gun at a polling station during the voter registration exercise in her constituency in 2020.

The Minority Chief Whip, Mohammed Muntaka during the session was sceptical about the genuineness of the apology.

“We are all MPs, incidents do happen in our constituencies, sometimes supporters of your opponents but when you hear people are injured you try to comfort them. To let them know that it was not deliberate. So when you apologise, people will believe that it is sincere….But if something of this nature happens in your constituency – with all the news around it – you never find out those who were injured and to visit them, and you come to the Appointments Committee and you say ‘Oh, I am sorry,’ you make it difficult for me to believe the sincerity of the apology,” he said.

The minister-designate for Energy, Matthew Opoku Prempeh also apologized before the committee for accusing former President John Mahama of machinations to sabotage the Computerised School Placement system in 2019.