Mahama Ayariga, a member of parliament for Bawku Central and a member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has dismissed claims that some lawmakers were paid to support ministerial nominees.
He asserted that there is no proof that National Democratic Congress (NDC) lawmakers accepted payments to support the nominees.
The Bawku MP said the lobbying abilities of the nominees helped persuade some of his colleagues to vote for them in an interview with Citi TV, which is based in Accra.
Despite the claims being made after the nominees were approved by the Majority and many Minority MPs, despite the National Democratic Congress leadership explicitly ordering them to reject the ministers, he claimed he lacked proof that money was exchanged for votes.
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“The numbers that voted to approve the nominees shocked me, but I can tell you that the nominees lobbied very hard, and it is one of the reasons that informed the [NDC] party to issue a statement to the Minority not to approve the nominees because the party found out that the Minority MPs were not finding it easy to resist the lobbying.”
Ayariga sharply added: “It wasn’t entirely money because I heard people say some members took money from the nominees, but I don’t have evidence that people took money, and so I am careful about saying things like that. But I know that the nominees lobbied very hard and appealed to the relationships that they have with people in the Chamber.”
On Friday, March 24, all six nominees were approved following a secret vote, defying the leadership of the NDC.
The approval suggested that K.T. Hammond, an Adansi Asokwa MP, would take over as minister of trade and industry after being sworn in by the president, with Dr. Stephen Amoah, a member of parliament for Nhyiaeso, serving as his deputy.
