The spokesperson for the National Democratic Congress’ transition team, Hanna Tetteh, has debunked allegations government is recruiting for the security services in the wake of the 2016 presidential election.
The leader of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) transition team, Yaw Osafo Marfo, had alleged the party had information that government had carried out recruitment for the security services after the 2016 presidential results were declared by the EC.
But reacting to the concerns, Ms Tetteh told journalists after the first sitting of the transition team in Accra on Wednesday December 14 that the recruitment exercise began before the election was declared and could be put on hold until the swearing-in of President-elect Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
“I have seen an advertisement in the papers suggesting that the Ghana Armed Forces is conducting a recruitment exercise. They are advertising for people to apply. It is highly unlikely that that recruitment exercise will be concluded before 7 January, in which case the incoming administration will then have the responsibility and then will have the oversight to see how the exercise is concluded. Remember that when we have a transfer of political power, the state of Ghana remains the state. Actions that were taken with the proper authorisation prior to the election are actions on which those institutions can take further action, because at the time they were authorised to do ABC, the persons who were giving them authorisation to do what they did had the legal mandate to be able to do so,” she stated.
“The question really is to make sure that whatever exercise takes place takes place in a transparent manner and that if there are any concerns that the transition team wishes to raise, one would hope that it would be addressed. I’m referring specifically to that armed forces advertisement because I have also seen it. I’m not aware of any other advertisement for recruitment, but as you all know when you have an advertisement, it’s the beginning of the process; it is not the end of the process. So let’s say the armed forces have advertised that [they are] recruiting new staff. I don’t believe that that process will be completed before the handover, I don’t think it’s practically possible. If for one reason or the other the transition team have their concerns with it, the Ghana Armed Forces can be asked to suspend it.”
Ms Tetteh also rejected assertions that government was awarding contracts during the transition period. “I’m not aware of any contracts being awarded, I’m not aware of sale of government property; all sorts of things get thrown around at times like this,” she said.
Source: Ghana/AccraFM.com
