Akufo-Addo Sacks Adwoa Safo As Minister For Gender, Children And Social Protection

Member of Parliament for Dome Kwabenya, Mrs Sarah Adwoa Safo has been laid off by President Nana Akufo-Addo as the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection.

The President has revoked Adowa Safo’s appointment letter with immediate effect as sighted by the letter signed by the Director of Communications at the office of the President.

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Cecilia Abena Dapaah has been tasked as seen in the letter to act as the Minister and to continue in her role till a substantive Minister is appointed.

READ THE PRESIDENT’S STATEMENT BELOW

President Akufo-Addo has been heavily criticized by Ghanaians in the past few months for the continuous appointment of Adwoa Safo as the Gender Minister though she has been out of the country since 2021.

The crisis in the New Patriotic Party (NPP) MP continues as the Speaker of Parliament, Mr Alban Bagbin deferred judgement on declaring her seat vacant earlier today.

Addressing members of the house before they go on a break, the Speaker said he will defer his decision till the house resumed sitting.

“Honourable Members, I have consulted the old lady, the old lady has given me some advice and I think that advice is correct. The issue raised by the Majority Leader is both substantive and procedural law.

“I need time to submit to this house a reasoned, written ruling. I cannot in the haste of today, give you the ruling. In the circumstance, I will urge this House for us to call it a day”, he said.

The Privileges Committee of Parliament recommended that Adwoa Safo’s seat should be declared vacant due to her absenteeism from the house.

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The Committee maintains that Sarah Adwoa Safo failed to take advantage of the numerous opportunities to explain her absence without leave.

The Majority of MPs on the committee cited Article 97 (1) (c) of the 1992 Constitution and the Court of Appeal decision in the case of Professor Stephen Kwaku Asare v the Attorney General & 3 Ors, in this regard.

Sarah Adwoa Safo, on July 17, opened up about the ordeal she is facing in the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP).

According to her, she has become a victim of a sustained political witch-hunt by certain elements in the NPP and in Parliament for their own parochial goals.