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Dr Mustapha Armed – OUT! and Mark Owen Woyongo – OUT!
President John Dramani Mahama yesterday axed six ministers from his administration in a latest ministerial reshuffle that swept away the Interior Minister, Mark Owen Woyongo, and four regional ministers from their positions.
As earlier predicted by DAILY GUIDE, James Zuugah Tiigah, Upper East Regional Minister, and his deputy Daniel Aweyue Syme, Ashanti Regional Minister Peter Anarfi-Mensah, his counterparts in the Central and the Eastern Regions, Aquinas Tawiah Quansah and Antwi Boasiako Sekyere respectively, lost their portfolios in the reshuffle which has been cynically described as ‘election project.’
President Mahama has appointed Kenneth Wujangi, a Konkomba, as a Deputy Chief of Staff in-charge of Operations at the Flagstaff House to appease the growing anger of Konkombas who feel neglected by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government. A former Minister of Fisheries, Nayon Bilijo, a Konkomba, had been removed for Sherry Ayittey (a Ga woman), leaving the Konkombas with nothing. But with elections approaching, a member of the vast community of Konkombas in the north has been appointed to appease them.
The reshuffle, coming less than 10 months to the November 7 general election, also saw the Sports Minister, Dr Mustapha Ahmed, losing out in a move seen as double tragedy – having lost his parliamentary bid in his Ayawaso North enclave.
A statement signed by Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, at the Office of the President also announced the return of Prosper Douglas Bani, immediate past Chief of Staff, as Minister-designate for the Interior and Edwin Nii Lante Vanderpuye, Deputy Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, as Minister-designate for Youth and Sports. John Alexander Ackon, Deputy Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, goes to the Ashanti Region and Kweku Ricketts Hagan, Deputy Minister for Trade and Industry, moves to Cape Coast as Minister-designate for the Central Region.
The changes, according to Mr. Debrah, are ongoing and that there will be further announcements in due course.
President Mahama replaced the Northern Regional Minister, Alhaji Mohammed Muniru Limuna, with Abdallah Abubakari, a member of the People’s National Convention (PNC) from the Mamprusi area of the region where Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, New Patriotic Party (NPP) vice presidential candidate, comes from in an obvious attempt to neutralise the Bawumia influence.
Alhaji Muniru Limuna, introduced into the Mahama administration as Minister of State in-charge of Scholarships before moving to the Upper East as Regional Minister and later Northern Regional Minister, is now taking over as Minister of Food and Agriculture from Franklin Fiavi Fifi Kwetey, who moves to Transport Ministry after the exit of Dzifa Aku Attivor.
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Ms Attivor quit her plush ministerial position after the scandalous GH¢3.6 million rebranding of Metro Mass Transit buses.
The Deputy Eastern Regional Minister, Mavis Ama Frimpong, takes over from her boss, Antwi Boasiako-Sekyere as Minister-designate and Albert Abongo, MP for Bongo and former Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, goes to Upper East as Minister-designate.
A new entrant who is unknown to the local NDC party in the Ashanti Region, Andy Osei Okrah, is going to fill the vacant Deputy Regional Minister position vacated by Joseph Yammin,
with Robert Baba Kuganab-Lem going to the Upper East Region as Deputy Minister-designate.
Andy Osei Okrah is the Director of Human Resource of the Forestry Commission and Chairman of Students Loan Trust.
The incoming Regional Minister, Abdullah Abubakari, is a Mamprusi and social worker.
Mark Woyongo, Interior Minister, who recently dropped a bombshell that he was not aware of the discussions leading to the transfer of the Al-Qaeda inmates from Guantanamo Bay to Ghana from the United States, has been reassigned to the Presidency as Minister of State, joining the long league of ministers without portfolio at the place described as ‘Siberia’ in the Mahama administration.
A DAILY GUIDE Report
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