Irbard Ibrahim has called on Ghana’s Parliament to investigate a bribery allegation that has hit the work of the Appointments Committee.
A member of the committee, Mahama Ayariga, recently accused Energy Minister-designate Boakye Agyarko of advancing GHS3000 each through his Chief Whip Muntaka Mubarak, to minority MPs on the committee as bribe so as to facilitate his approval, which had been put on ice over certain issues.
The bribe, according to Mr Ayariga, was first given to the chair of the committee, Joe Osei-Owusu for onward disbursement. However, all the actors named in the scandal have denied there ever was any such bribery attempt.
Subsequently, Mr Ayariga, together with two other members of the committee: Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa and Alhassan Suhuyini, has sent a petition to the speaker of parliament to investigate the matter.
Speaking on the scandal, Mr Ibrahim said the legislature is a very important arm of Government and allegations of corruption only undermine Ghana’s good governance credentials in the eyes of the international community.
Mr Irbard advised minority MPs to exercise restraint in their public utterances and refer to internal party mechanisms to resolve the issue rather than engage in blame games in the media that only deepen the notion of power play within the party.
He further called for support for the Minority Leader to enable him stamp his authority and emerge successful as a youthful but very brilliant leader in the Legislature.
The security analyst added that the cracks that have begun to show in the NDC are symptomatic of the lack of a clear cut overall authority in the party as the locus of ex-presidents John Mahama and Jerry Rawlings as well as that of the National Chairman Kofi Portuphy are blurred by uncertainty and contending loyalties.
Source: Ghana/AccraFM.com
