The Minority in Parliament has urged Ministers-designate to refrain from assuming roles as representatives of the president and called on the Chief of Staff to revoke any unauthorized appointments designating them as such.
This call follows allegations that the Chief of Staff created temporary appointments for Ministers-designate awaiting parliamentary approval, labeling them as ‘Representatives of the President.’
Minister of Health designate, Dr. Bernard Okoe-Boye, faced scrutiny when he conducted inspections at health facilities, purportedly as the President’s representative. However, he denied operating unlawfully within the Health Ministry amidst delays in his parliamentary approval.
In a statement issued by the Ranking Member on the Parliamentary Select Committee on Health and MP for Juaboso, the Minority stressed that Minister-designates, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, as nominees of the President, lack the authority to instruct or implement policy changes within ministry agencies.
“The Minister-designate who is only a nominee of the President has no authority whatsoever to instruct or direct, implement or propose policy changes for agencies within a sector ministry and therefore under what power or authority does he/she summon CEOs and other heads of institutions, who may be busy with their official schedules, to grant him audience or presentations on their management of state institutions?
“The Minority in Parliament would therefore like to advise the Chief of Staff to revoke all illegal appointments appointing Minister-designates as Representatives of the President. We further caution persons so appointed to stop holding themselves out as Representatives of the President to designated Ministries. We urge all members of the public, particularly public sector workers not to extend any privilege reserved for Ministers to such persons.”
“Therefore, for a highly regulated power centre such as the Presidency, it is ultra vires for the Chief of Staff who derives all her powers from the President as prescribed by the 1992 constitution to be creating new offices alien to the constitution.”
The Minority highlighted that the 1992 constitution does not support the creation of representatives of the President in Ministries of State, declaring such actions as ultra vires for the Chief of Staff.
Furthermore, the caucus emphasized that a Minister, appointed by the President with the prior approval of Parliament, holds the representative role, and Minister-designates should not assume such responsibilities until parliamentary approval is secured.
The Minority concluded by declaring it unlawful for any individual to present themselves as a Representative of the President to a Ministry exercising executive authority, advocating for adherence to constitutional processes and roles within government institutions.