Mrs. Rawlings: Nomination Of Bagbin, Tia, E.T Undemocratic...Party Leadership Not Consulted

Former First Lady and Founder of the 31st December Women�s Movement, Nana Konadu Agyemang-Rawlings, has described as undemocratic, albeit in an implied way, the nomination of Majority Leader, Alban Bagbin, Deputy Majority Leader, Hon John Tia, and Majority Chief Whip, Hon ET Mensah for Ministerial appointments and has also accused the ruling government of not conferring with the newly elected national leadership of the NDC party before the nominations were announced. Speaking in an interview with Citi News, Mrs. Rawlings blamed the National Chairman of the NCD, Dr Kwabena Agyei, ignoring the newly elected national leadership of the party by failing to consult them ahead of the nomination of the three majority front benchers for executive positions. Dr Kwabena Agyei, on Wednesday, January 27, was categorical in an interview on the same radio station (Citifm) that President John Evans Atta Mills appropriately discussed with the party�s hierarchy ahead of Monday�s Ministerial re-shuffle, described by some as a deliberate foray by the Executive arm of government to weaken the Legislature. But the First-Vice Chair of the NDC, clearly unenthused, is contending that assertion by the NDC National Chairman. �We have to first find out if Dr. Kwabena Adjei was consulted as an individual or he was consulted as the chairman of our party�. I think that if he was consulted alone, then he should also have come to consult the rest of us so that collectively we can give our ideas or feelings towards this decision�the chairman cannot take a decision for the rest of us without informing us�these are the things that have made some of us go into the party so that we will have at least a democratic way of doing things in our party,� Mrs. Rawlings stated. The former First Lady�s comments come at a time when the Majority caucus is readying itself for a showdown with President Mills on Thursday, January 28. President Mills is reported to have put forward the names of Hon. Cletus Avoka and Rashid Pelpuo as replacements for Hon Bagbin and Hon John Tia on the Majority front bench. But peacefmonline.com can confirm that, during a meeting held by the NDC MPs yesterday, Wednesday, January 28, some Members of Parliament, obviously livid with rage, pointed out clearly that they would not accept the President�s choices. The caucus, is meeting with the President at the Osu Castle to express their concern about the recent reshuffle. Sources have hinted Peacefmonline.com that most of the MPs are opposed to the naming of the former Interior Minister, Cletus Avoka and Rashid Pelpuo, former Minister of Sports as possible replacement to lead the Majority in Parliament. Some senior-most MPs who spoke to Peacefmonline.com on condition of strict anonymity, said various names will be suggested to the President for consideration. Names like Hon. Abukari Sumani (Alhaji), MP for Tamale North and Alfred Agbesi, MP for Ashaiman are being held closely to the chest of these senior-most MPs as possible replacement.