Legal luminary and former President of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) Samuel Okudzeto has described President John Mahama’s last minute appointments as a blatant violation of the Transition law.
He says the appointments which come less than a week to the official inauguration of the incoming President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo were “complete nonsense.”
President Mahama has come under a heavy public criticism both on social media and in other public discourse over his recent appointments and approval of salary increments weeks to leaving office.
In an interaction with representatives of the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference last Wednesday, he pointed out that, despite losing the December elections to the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) presidential candidate Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, he remains the President.
Since the loss, he has appointed and sworn in heads for the Commission on Human Right and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), National Commission on Civic Education (NCCE), Auditor General and Prisoners Commissioner.
But Mr Okudzeto said he sees no point in appointing people the outgoing President would not be working with and is wondering why some minister are justifying the action arguing that President Mahama is still acting as the government.
He questioned why Mr Mahama has been in power while the positions had been vacant without filling those vacancies and waited until the last minute when he was leaving office.
“If you thought that they were competent enough for your job, you should have appointed them?” he quizzed.
