The Member of Parliament for South Dayi, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, has expressed his intention to take legal action against the president for reassigning individuals he had earlier dismissed without parliamentary vetting.

Mr Dafeamekpor contended that, as the president had initially announced the sacking of these individuals, any reassignment would necessitate parliamentary approval through vetting before assuming new roles.

In response to the president's major government reshuffle on February 14, 2024, which included the dismissal of 13 ministers and 10 deputies, Mr Dafeamekpor specifically highlighted the reassignment of four ministers to different portfolios.

He cited examples such as Kojo Oppong Nkrumah being appointed as the Minister of Works and Housing, and Francis Asenso-Boakye as the Minister of Roads and Highways.

Dafeamekpor argued that the president lacked the authority to reassign dismissed ministers without parliamentary vetting, emphasizing that they ceased to be ministers upon dismissal.

He asserted his intention to take the matter to the Supreme Court, seeking an injunction to prevent the reassigned ministers from performing their duties until they undergo parliamentary vetting.

“I have been challenged to go to court, so I will go to court… I want to know whether the president can invoke the appointment of a minister and turn around to say that he is reassigned to that same minister. If the Supreme Court will entertain things like that, then it is up to all of us,” he stated.

“If we allow Akufo-Addo to allow these new ministers to step into their offices without vetting, a future president will dance around parliamentary scrutiny. He will appoint his ministers and they will never come to parliament for vetting,” he argued.

To him, the president had created confusion and problems for himself and his government by including the reassigned ministers in the list of those he had sacked.

“You are saying that you have dismissed some people, but it didn’t state how long the dismissal lasts. As soon as you dismiss them, you reassign them. The initial letter didn’t say which ministers had been dismissed and which ones were reassigned; it stated that all of them had been dismissed.

“Moments later, you bring out another letter to say that you have reassigned some of the sacked ministers. Once some were given new offices, it amounted to a fresh appointment. The president shouldn’t have included those he wanted to reassign in the list of those he sacked, this is where they created problems for themselves,” he added.

Expressing concern about potential implications for future presidencies, Dafeamekpor warned that allowing the current president's actions without parliamentary scrutiny might set a precedent for bypassing vetting processes in future appointments. He criticized the president for creating confusion by initially including reassigned ministers in the list of those dismissed, arguing that this ambiguity could lead to similar problems for the government.

Dafeamekpor made these statements during an interview on Accra-based Okay FM.