CONSTITUTIONAL LEGALITIES

Following the swearing in of John Dramani Mahama as president of the republic, expectations were high that a vice president will be nominated and approved by parliament soon. The vice president is expected to partner John Mahama especially in the December polls. Already, a former member of parliament and lawyer, John Ndebugri is accusing the executive branch of government of breaching constitutional provisions by not nominating a vice presidential candidate for John Mahama. But lawyers have sharply disagreed with him. Michael Owusu is the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the Ghana Bar Association and Coordinator of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology law school. However, a Private Legal Practitioner, Lawyer Nana Kwasi Boaitey has meanwhile been expressing the view that there was no power vacuum between the time that President Mills died on 24^th July at 2.15 pm, and when the then Vice President was sworn into office as President the same day. According to him, the constitution states that the vice president takes office immediately after the demise of the president, even before he is officially sworn into office.  

CSSPS

The Computerized School Selection and Placement System is discounting media reports that the placement of students into Senior High Schools for this year will be delayed due to the death of President Mills. According to National Coordinator of the Computerized School Selection and Placement System, it is disappointing for some section of the public to concoct stories around the sudden demise of President John Evans Atta Mills. Samuel Oppong discloses that his outfit would start admitting students under the computer placement system in August instead of September. Oppong adds that this is to honour the late president for introducing the thirty percent catchment area allocation quota. Meanwhile Samuel Oppong has warned candidates whose results have been withheld; that they would not be given any special attention after admission has closed.

NATIONAL ACCREDITATION BOARD ON THE MOVE

The National Accreditation Board has lifted ban imposed on Methodist University College on the admission of fresh students. The order was as a result  of an audit inspection conducted by the board of the university which found out that some of the  students  who were  at  various levels  were  admitted  with  only  proficiency certificates in computer  studies and other  courses. The National  Accreditation  board  in  April  this  year  ordered  Methodist  university  College  to  withdraw  more  than  one thousand  unqualified  students  the  university  admitted  to  offer  various  degree  programmes.  The  National   Accreditation  board   ordered  the withdrawal of  unqualified  students,  failure  of  which  it   should  not  advertise  for  new  students.  Methodist  university  college  indicated  that  it  had  complied  with  the  National  Accreditation  Board   and  therefore  asked  to  lift  the  ban  on the school.  Richard Agyei is the public relations officer of the national accreditation board.

MR.SYLVESTER MENSAH FOR VICE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF GHANA?

Information available to Kapital news has it that Chief Executive Officer of the National Health Insurance Authority; Sylvester A. Mensah is to become Ghana’s next Vice President. He would also be the running mate to the party’s flagbearer President John Mahama for the 2012 election. President Mahama is expected to present his name to parliament as Vice President over the next five months for scrutiny and approval. Signals form the corridors of power picked by Kapital news indicates that President John Mahama in consultation with leading party executives has finally settled Sylvester Mensah as Vice President. Under Ghana’s 1992 Constitution, the Vice President who is sworn in as President by Parliament following the death of a President is to nominate a candidate to be endorsed by Parliament as Vice President. Several names have been speculated as possible candidates including Trades Minister Hannah Tetteh, Chairman of the National Development Planning Commission PV Obeng, Ghana’s longest serving former Finance Minister Kwesi Botchwey and former NDC Flagbearer-Aspirant Ekwow Spio Garbrah. But our sources at the Castle have hinted that Sylvester Mensah has been settled on as a compromise candidate.

Meanwhile, Deputy Majority Leader Rashid Pelpuo tells Kapital news, parliament is yet to decide on how the house would go about the approval processes for the new vice president, when President John Mahama submits the name to the house. Government is meanwhile directing that all persons observe a minute’s silence today at 2:15pm in honour of the late president. Today marks exactly one week since President Atta Mills passed away. A statement from government indicated that wherever people find themselves throughout Ghana today at 2:15pm, they are to observe a minute’s silence and also say a prayer for the soul of President Atta Mills who worked selflessly towards bettering the lives of Ghanaians. Residents of the Kumasi Metropolis are expected to gather at the Prempeh Assembly Hall and the Jubilee Park to mark the one week celebration of the death of President John Mills. President John Mahama has directed various regional ministers and district chief executives to organize programmes simultaneously to mark the seventh day of the demise of President John Mills. A member of the one week celebration planning committee set up by the Ashanti regional coordinating council here in Kumasi, Kaba Abraham spoke to Adams Issaka of our news desk on the plans for the celebration in Kumasi today. Meanwhile, some residents in the Kumasi Metropolis have been speaking to Kapital News on how they intend marking the one week celebration of the late president today.

PRESIDENT MILLS' BURIAL

The funeral committee planning the burial of late President John Evans Atta Mills has disclosed that it may no longer bury him at the Flagstaff House. The decision was taken after consultations with the family of the late President during President John Mahama’s visit to the Central region Saturday. Communications Minister Haruna Iddrisu earlier told KAPITAL NEWS that the late President would be interred at the Flagstaff House. He, however, tells Joy News the search for a cemetery for presidents is still on. According to Haruna Iddrisu, “Following his Excellency the President’s visit to Cape Coast [Saturday] to pay his condolences and sympathy to the family of the late President Mills, its been decided that the final resting place of the late President be decided by the funeral planning committee … “… which will do some further consultation with the family of the late President and the venue would be announced accordingly by the funeral planning committee.”

COURT INJUNCTION

The Electoral Commission (EC) has called off polls, following an injunction placed on it by an Accra Human Rights Court, over the holding of by-elections in Wulensi and Kwabre West constituencies in the Northern and Ashanti regions, respectively. In a press release signed by K. Sarfo Kantanka, the deputy chairman of EC, the commission has called on all political parties, candidates and voters in the affected constituencies to halt any preparations in relation to these by-elections. “In view of the ruling by the High Court in the case of Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, Asiedu Nketia and Ivor Greenstreet versus the Electoral Commission that the Commission cannot hold any elections using a register compiled under the repealed Public Elections (Registration of Voters Regulations) 1995 CI.12 and the fact that the Biometric Voters Register currently being compiled will not be ready for the aforementioned by-elections, the Commission has called off both by-elections. “All political parties, candidates and voters in the affected constituencies are to take note and halt any preparations in relation to these by-elections,” the statement said. Four political parties, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Convention People’s Party (CPP) and People’s National Convention (PNC) had dragged the EC to court over the register to be used for the by-elections. The four parties sought for an injunction against the EC on grounds that there was no substantive voters register to successfully conduct the elections in the two constituencies. The High Court, presided over by Essel Mensah, yesterday, ruled that the commission could not hold any elections using a register compiled under the repealed Public Elections (Registration of Voters Regulations) 1995 CI.12 and the fact that the Biometric Voters Register was being compiled, meant it would not be ready for the by-elections to take place. The EC had slated the Wulensi and Kwabre by-elections to be held on July 31, 2012 and August 14, respectively. The by-elections were to constitutionally replace Alhaji Sani Iddi and Emmanuel Owusu Ansah, MPs for Wulensi and Kwabre West respectively, who had died within a space of one month. The parties had argued that there was no valid voters register for the EC to go ahead with their decision since that would result in illegality. The four parties contended that Constitutional Instrument 72, effectively repealed CI 12 and as a result, the EC could not rely on the old voters register to organize the elections. Justice Mensah agreed with the parties and therefore ruled in their favour.