KICK OUT MINISTER Group Petitions Parliament Over Alleged Activities Of Darko-Mensah

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Good Governance Advocacy Group, Ghana (GGAGG) a civil society organization has petitioned the Appointment Committee of Parliament to reject the nomination of Mr Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah  as Western regional minister.

Mr Darko-Mensah has been nominated again by President Nana Akufo-Addo as Western regional minister but GGAGG is kicking against his reappointment accusing him of misconducting himself in office as minister contrary to the law.

Listowell Nana Kusi-Opoku, Executive Director of Good Governance Advocacy Group, Ghana contends among others that Mr Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah who is also MP for Takoradi has “poor leadership traits”.

The group also accused the lawmaker of interfering in chieftaincy, militarisation of the 2020 general election and hooliganism.

Addressing the media in Accra on Wednesday, GGAGG noted that its prime reason for calling on the appointment committee to reject Mr Darko-Mensah is his “blatant unlawful and wrongful installation of one Benjamin Kesse as Municipal Chief Executive for the Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipal Assembly without rhyme or reason, with much impunity.”

The group explained that “during the execution of this unlawful process, Hon. Darko-Mensah contrary to Section 17 (5) of the Local Governance Act, 2016 – Act 936 and Part 13 (1a) of the Model Standing Orders for MMDAs convened a General Assembly Meeting to confirm the MCE nominee which was supposed to be summoned by the Presiding Member of the Assembly. He further adopted the use of brute force using the Western Regional Command of the Ghana Police Service who serve under him as the head of Regional Security to cruelly and physically prevent twenty-two (22) Elected Assembly Members from entering the Assembly Hall to participate in the confirmation of the MCE which is done by election thereby preventing them from exercising their franchise.”

GGAGG noted that the former regional minister hurriedly, in a period less than an hour swore in the “illegally confirmed MCE after the outcome of the wrongful voting was declared by the Electoral Commission (EC).”

The group said it finds this an affront to Ghana’s democracy since the process of swearing into office an MCE is the sole preserve of the Judiciary and should have been done by a Judge of the circuit court in the municipality.

This alleged conduct by Mr Darko-Mensah, according to GGAGG is in total breach of the Local Governance Act, 2016 – Act 936.

The group claims Mr Darko-Mensah’s leadership as Western regional minister between the period 2017 and 2021 “has been full of abuse of authority, gross disregard for laws, dictatorship, capricious use of discretion, intimidation, violence etc.”

For these reasons, the group is calling on the appointment committee to reject Mr Darko-Mensah’s nomination.

This is the full text of the statement;Top of Form

PRESS STATEMENT

Wednesday, February 17, 2021

ADVOCACY TO REJECT KWABENA OKYERE DARKO-MENSAH’S NOMINATION AS WESTERN REGIONAL MINISTER DESIGNATE

We the members of Good Governance Advocacy Group, Ghana (GGAGG) and Communal Labour Forum   as Human and Civil Rights activists, a public-cooperate governance institution that holds true the tenets of Ghana’s Constitution that enjoins the citizenry to hold the feet of those who govern to the fire of accountability at all times, welcome you. 

Ladies and Gentlemen of the media, since this is our maiden press briefing this year we wish to say a happy new year, though belated.

Ladies and Gentlemen of the media, we in this press briefing bring before you some grave concerns in respect of observation, investigations, assessment and analyses of some accusations that underprop our  conclusions that Hon. Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, Member of Parliament for Tarkoradi and former Minister for Western Region who has been nominated again by President Akufo-Addo for the Appointment Committee of Parliament to recommend him to Parliament for approval does not, by his deeds, qualify for the position of Minister of State.

Our friends in the media, even though we have several instances of his poor leadership traits to complain about, in respect of interfering with the chieftaincy institution, militarization of the 2020 general election, hooliganism, etc., we are limiting our analysis to one case in point in which several of the issues underscored herein this press briefing made us draw this deduction in terms of what we plead you to join our campaign of rejection to the Appointments Committee for consequential action of rejecting the aforementioned person at the level of vetting.

Ladies and Gentlemen of the media, the case in point is in respect of the blatant unlawful and wrongful installation of one Benjamin Kesse as Municipal Chief Executive for the Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipal Assembly without rhyme or reason, with much impunity.

Ladies and Gentlemen of the media, during the execution of this unlawful process, Hon. Darko-Mensah contrary to Section 17 (5) of the Local Governance Act, 2016 – Act 936 and Part 13 (1a) of the Model Standing Orders for MMDAs convened a General Assembly Meeting to confirm the MCE nominee which was supposed to be summoned by the Presiding Member of the Assembly. He further adopted the use of brute force using the Western Regional Command of the Ghana Police Service who serve under him as the head of Regional Security to cruelly and physically prevent twenty-two (22) Elected Assembly Members from entering the Assembly Hall to participate in the confirmation of the MCE which is done by election thereby preventing them from exercising their franchise.

Ladies and Gentlemen of the media, Hon. Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah knowing so well that the laws governing the confirmation of the MCE allow for only the Presiding member of the Assembly to convene the meeting and that the Presiding member was not ready to allow the ill-fated action to go on, cruelly stopped the Presiding member.

Ladies and Gentlemen of the media, moreover, the former Regional Minister hurriedly, in a period less than an hour swore in the illegally confirmed MCE after the outcome of the wrongful voting was declared by the Electoral Commission (EC). We find this an affront to Ghana’s democracy since the process of swearing into office as an MCE is the sole preserve of the Judiciary and should have been done by a Judge of the circuit court in the municipality. The lawless action of the Regional Minister to swear in the MCE was in complete breach of Part 15 (4) of the Model Standing Orders for MMDAs, which specifically states that “In the event of the nominee polling two-thirds or more of the votes of members of the Assembly present and voting, the Electoral Commission shall notify the President of the approval of the Assembly within seven days”.

Ladies and Gentlemen of the media, this conduct by Hon. Darko-Mensah who acted in his official capacity as the Western Regional Minister is in total breach of Laws enacted by the august house i.e. Local Governance Act, 2016 – Act 936

Ladies and Gentlemen of the media, we have conscientiously examined the style of leadership of Mr. Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah as Western Regional Minister between the period 2017 and 2021 and his rule has been full of Abuse of Authority, Gross disregard for Laws, Dictatorship, Capricious use of discretion, Intimidation, Violence etc.

Ladies and Gentlemen of the media, we in view of this observation in respect of the unlawful, incorrigible, and recalcitrant behaviour of the former Regional Minister plead that he is totally rejected by all well-meaning members of the august house especially at the Appointments Committee.

For God and Ghana, our motherland…….………

Signed

Listowell Nana Kusi-Opoku

Chief Executive Director

Good Governance Advocacy Group Ghana

Thank You