Minister-desinate for Foreign Affairs and leader of the Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL), Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has clapped back at representatives of the Minority on Parliament’s Appointment Committee following his vetting last week.
Samuel appeared before the vetting committee last week for an approximate seven hours vetting proceeding.
He was subjected to long hours of questioning by the minority regarding not just the position for which he has been appointed, but also regarding matters that have been described as personal to the minority representatives on the committee.
Following his vetting and that of Samuel Nartey George’s, Communications Minister-designate, the two of whom have been regarded as critical targets of the minority, the vetting committee has been criticized severely, as a great section of the public turn to believe that the vetting is being used to settle political scores.
But the minority have denied such claims, saying they needed to do due deligence in their delivery.
During his vetting, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa was compelled to reveal some personal information, including his assets, his work life from decades ago and how he obtains certain information about the government that he usually shares on his social media handles. These information, per commentators of the minority, reveal some level of irregularities.
However, the minister-designate says, though the minority are raising the said concerns, they were unable to prosecute him while in power for eight years.
“They had every opportunity when they were in power for 8 years to have me prosecuted but they failed because there was nothing they could find,” he shared in a X post.
While Samuel was still going throug vetting, the minority staged a walk-out following the Speaker of Parliament’s order that suggested a re-constitution of the appointment vetting committee.The speaker’s order followed a chaotic incident that happened after the vetting of another nominee the day before vetting Mr. Ablakwa.
Some committee members could be seen distorting proceedings, as they overturned a table and destroyed microphones.
However, Samuel has shared that the minority chose to run away even though they had every opportunity when he appeared before them at the vetting committee.
“Now they have resorted to desperate smear press conferences and infantile fabrications.”
“If they want a second round of vetting, I am ready for them. It is not a crime for a Member of Parliament to patrionically and diligentll seek the protection of public resources and state assets pursuant to our constitutional mandate of oversight.”
“Those on the side of truth and justice can never be intimidated.”
According to him, he will remain “focused on President Mahama’s exciting reset innovations which we are on the verge of implementing at the Foreign Ministry.”
Thank you for reading from Dehotpress, a Ghanaian news website. You are welcome to share this story on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc., and you can also follow us there.
