Senior minister is a prime minister in disguise - Kwesi Pratt

Veteran journalist and Managing Editor of the Insight newspaper, Kwesi Pratt Jnr, has stated that issues raised by Bawku Central MP, Mahama Ayariga about the constitutionality of the senior minister position is in the right direction.

Mr Ayariga, a lawyer, last week wrote to President Nana Akufo-Addo to relook at his appointment of a senior minister as he [Ayariga] deemed the role as being in conflict with the 1992 constitution.

READ ALSO: Osafo-Maafo's role is 'unconstitutional' - Ayariga writes to Akufo-Addo

Speaking on Radio Gold’s ‘Alhaji and Alhaji’ on Saturday, Mr. Pratt agreed the senior minister position is that of a prime minister which is not constitutional.

“The issue which has been raised by Hon. Mahama Ayariga on the constitutionality of the appointment of senior minister...now the main argument that Hon. Ayariga has put out is that the constitution does not envisage the appointment of a prime minister and if you listen to all justifications that have been given so far for the appointment of a senior minister, it will appear that the senior minister is a prime minister in disguise, that’s the gravamen of the argument of Mahama Ayariga.”

According to him, his doubts about the position being that of a prime minister was confirmed Mr Osafo Maafo during the vetting process. 

“I was interested in teasing out the ingredient of the vetting which is confirm or not confirm that the senior minister position is one of a prime minister and then I heard Mr. Osafo Maafo first of all talk about his coordinating role that as a senior minister he will be in charge of the coordinating of the work of ministers and added if ministers do not comply with directives he will use muscle on them and that muscle can easily be understood to mean power.”

“A minister who has more power than cabinet ministers then he is not an ordinary minister as conceived by the constitution, and [if] he is a special minister, then he is a prime minister…”, he contended.