Former Ranking Member on the Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee of Parliament, Alhaji Inusah Fuseini has explained the process National Democratic Congress (NDC) lawmakers ought to have adopted in rejecting the nomination of three controversial persons.
The approval of Information Minister-designate, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, Minister-designate for Fisheries and Aquaculture, Hawa Koomson and Minister-designate, for Agriculture, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto was characterized by controversy last week and had to be subjected to a secret ballot on the floor of parliament.
Shockingly, all three sailed through after garnering majority votes suggesting that some members of the NDC actually voted for them in order to confirm their nomination exacerbating the anger of NDC grassroots.
But speaking on how it should have been done if the party was determined to reject the nominees, he indicated that they ought to have resorted to a three-line whip which is a a strict instruction to attend and vote according to a party’s position, breach of which would normally have serious consequences.
“A three-line whip is simply that, no member can vote outside what the party or the caucus has decided, and when you vote, you must actually find a way to show that you have actually voted as directed [by leadership], and this wasn’t used.”
The former Tamale Central lawmaker expressed disappointment in the turn of events on the floor of parliament paving way for the three nominees to be passed.
