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Mahama Ayariga, the Member of Parliament for the Bawku Central constituency in the Upper East Region, has said that he is not aware of any Minority MPs receiving money to approve President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s new ministerial nominees. 

The six nominees were approved after a secret vote on Friday, March 24, flouting the directive of the National Democratic Congress leadership. 

Speaking on Citi TV, Mr Ayariga said that the approval of the nominees may largely be due to their extensive lobbying. 

He added that though the allegations are being bandied around after the nominees were approved by the Majority and many Minority MPs, he has no evidence to the effect that money changed hands for votes.

“The numbers that voted to approve the nominees shocked me, but I can tell you that the nominees lobbied very hard, and it is one of the reasons that informed the [NDC] party to issue a statement to the Minority not to approve the nominees because the party found out that the Minority MPs were not finding it easy to resist the lobbying,” he said.

Mr Ayariga added: “It wasn’t entirely money because I heard people say some members took money from the nominees, but I don’t have evidence that people took money, and so I am careful about saying things like that. But I know that the nominees lobbied very hard and appealed to the relationships that they have with people in the Chamber.”