The newly appointed Commissioner for the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), Joseph Whittal, has said that President Mahama only acted within his powers when he appointed and swore him as the boss of CHRAJ.
This is despite the criticism from some sections of the general public that the president will hand over by January 7 and needed to leave the appointment to the president-elect Nana Akufo-Addo to do after he assumes office.
But Whittal defended the president saying “he [President Mahama] has the power as the President of the Republic of Ghana, until he exits, to appoint and this is state function. He has a performed a state function today [Tuesday].”
“I don’t see anything wrong with it. Why should anybody read anything into it, I don’t have a problem with the appointment as I think it is right, it is lawful and it is legal.”
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President John Mahama appointed and swore in heads of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) and CHRAJ days to his end of tenure.
Prior to her promotion, she was a deputy chairperson of the NCCE in charge of Finance and Administration. The position became vacant after the then chair of NCCE Charlotte Osei was appointed the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission.
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Whittal was also a deputy commissioner at CHRAJ and has been acting as the head of the commission after his predecessor Lauretta Lamptey was sacked for abuse of office.
However, President John Mahama has been sued by the New Patriotic Party for these ‘last minute’ appoints
The suit is challenging the authority of the President to make such last minute appointments.
The writ was filed by Philip Addison on Tuesday (December 20).
With the latest appointments of officers with security tenure the NPP suspects foul play.
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Lawyer Philip Addison in an interview with Myjoyonline.com confirmed the suit against the president.
Addison argued that it is in the President's prerogative to make appointments until the 6th day of January 2017, but cannot make appointments that will force the hand of the incoming president in the spirit of the law.
The party will be praying the court to reverse the appointments made by the president.