Speaker Halts Approval of Akufo-Addo’s Ministerial Nominees Until Suit Challenging their Appointment is Determined 

Parliament has decided to suspend the vetting and approval process of President Akufo-Addo’s nominated Ministers and Deputy Ministers of State. This decision comes in response to an interlocutory injunction filed at the Supreme Court by Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, MP for South Dayi.

Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, announced this development on Wednesday, March 20, 2024, stating that the lawsuit has made it impossible for Parliament to continue vetting the nominees. He cited the injunction motion seeking to restrain the Speaker from proceeding with the vetting and approval of the names of the persons submitted by the President until certain constitutional provisions are satisfied.

The Speaker’s directive was prompted by a letter from the Presidency, signed by the Secretary to the President, Nana Asante Bediatuo, on March 18, 2024. The letter requested Parliament to refrain from sending the anti-gay bill to President Akufo-Addo for his assent, citing two pending applications for an order of interlocutory injunction before the Supreme Court.

In response to the President’s directive, Speaker Alban Bagbin criticized the move, describing it as a threat to Ghana’s democracy. He argued that the President’s refusal to accept the transmission of the bill deviates from established democratic practices and undermines the spirit of cooperative governance.