Incoming government side raises concerns

Mr Yaw Osafo Marfo, the representative of the President-elect on the Joint Transition Team, has raised concerns over allegations of the award of fresh contracts and the sale of Government property.

This follows the announcement of the results of the December 7 General Election.

Addressing the maiden meeting of the Team, co-chaired by the President-elect, Nana Addo-Dankwa Akufo-Addo, on the side of the incoming Government and President John Dramani Mahama on the outgoing side, Mr Osafo Marfo said his side had also learnt about on-going recruitments into the security agencies and the public service. 

Mr Osafo Marfo said: “For instance, we have heard about ongoing recruitments into the security services, which we hope are not true.

“We’ve also heard of the conversion of temporary staff and political assistants into permanent positions in the Public Service. We have heard of the award of new contracts after the election results had been announced on Friday, December 9, 2016.

“We have heard of the procurement and sale of national assets also after the results. We don’t want to believe that the allegations are true.”  

Mr Osafo Marfo said if the allegations were true, the Government should stop it because that would not augur well for a smooth transition. 

He, therefore, called for transparency, factuality and candidness to characterise the process and urged broad consultations and consensual agreements on critical matters between the two parties in the national interest.

Ms Hanna Tetteh, the spokesperson for the Government side, however, told the media covering the proceedings at the Accra International Conference Centre that she was unaware on contracts being awarded by the Government nor the sale of government property after December 9.

The Government, she said, was following due process in all its doing after the elections and the declaration of the results.

On recruitment into the security services, she said if it was in relation to the Ghana Armed Forces, then that process had been ongoing.    

By the provisions of the Presidential Transition Act 2012 (Act 845) the transition team is to make comprehensive practical arrangements to regulate the transfer of political power following a Presidential election, and to do this by forming various sub-committees that will be responsible for different aspects of the process of the transfer of power. 

The law provides for the establishment of three specific committees – The Inauguration sub-Committee, the Government machinery sub-Committee and the Presidency sub-Committee – and any other committees the transition team considers relevant for the performance of its functions.

Source: GNA