Interior Ministry responds to Prof Martey on Peace Council job
The Ministry of Interior has denied offering the position of chairman of the National Peace Council (NPC) to the outgoing Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Rev Professor Emmanuel Martey.
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Prof Martey had alleged that Deputy Interior Minister, Mr James Agalga in a telephone conversation had told him that government was considering him [Martey] for the position but according to him, since he saw the offer as an attempt to gag him, he refused it.
Read also: ‘Some politicians tried bribing me with $100,000’
But responding to the allegations in a press statement on Monday, the Interior Minister, Mr Prosper Bani said the posision of chairman of the NPC was not a position to be lobbied for.
He said the NPC was a credible institution, “constituted by highly respected eminent persons”, who are duly nominated and elected through due processes provided for by the Constitution of Ghana,
He explained that Rev. Prof. Martey was nominated as a board member of the NPC in April 2016 by the Christian Council of Ghana.
However, the Ministry was informed later through a letter dated June 30, 2016 from the Christian Council of Ghana that Prof. Martey’s nomination had been withdrawn and that Rev. Dr. Adu Gyamfi was to replace him.
From this explanation of the processes, Mr Bani said there was no way Mr Agalga could have 'lobbied' him [Martey] to take up the position of chairmanship of the NPC in view of the fact that he was not clothed with such power in view of the law.
According to the Interior Minister, section 4 (2) and (3) of the National Peace Council Act, 2011, Act 818 states that, the position of the Chairperson of the Peace Council was elective, that is, only members of the board can elect one of their members as the chairperson and not the Ministry of Interior.
Rev Prof Martey had alleged last week that some politicians had attempted to bribe him so as to make him go silent on national issues.
Read also: ‘Some politicians tried bribing me with $100,000’