PANAPRESS
Panafrican News Agency
Ghana: Ghana media report power barge’s arrival, suspension of parliamentary candidates of ruling party
Accra, Ghana (PANA) – The arrival of a power barge that will generate 225MW of power and the suspension of two parliamentary candidates of the ruling National Democratic Congress were some of the stories reported in Ghana this week.
The media also highlighted the Supreme Court ruling on whether the Speaker should swear the oath of office any time the president and vice president are unable to perform their duties and the celebration of National Farmers’ Day.
The state-owned Graphic reported on Monday that the Karpowership, which is one of several measures being carried out to end the electricity challenges, docked at the Tema harbour, some 25 km east of Accra, on Saturday from Turkey.
It said government officials and technical experts who inspected the vessel at Tema Fishing Harbour on Sunday were, however, not forthcoming with information as to when it will start generating power.
The barge is expected to be hooked onto the Ghana Grid Company station in Tema, ahead of a test run to pave way for power production. It is about the size of a football pitch and the height of a three storey building.
The Minister of Power, Dr Kwabena Donkor, who led government officials to formally welcome the barge, appealed to Ghanaians not to expect an end to the power crisis with the arrival of the ship. The other power plants that are almost complete would help end the crisis.
The Graphic reported that the Supreme Court in a ruling on Thursday said the Speaker of Parliament, Edward Doe Adjaho violated the constitution in November last year when he refused to take the oath of office of president in the absence of President John Dramani Mahama and Vice President Kwesi Amissah-Arthur. His argument was that there was no need for him to take the oath again as he had taken the same oath on a previous occasion.
“Doe Adjaho violated constitution on acting president oath – Supreme Court,” was the headline of the story in the Graphic.
It reported that the Supreme Court, in a unanimous decision on Thursday, declared that the Speaker of Parliament violated the constitution when he declined to be sworn in to act as president when the president and vice president were out of the country in November 2014.
The nine-member panel, presided over by Mr Justice Sophia Akuffo, also averred that the “Speaker of Parliament shall always, before assuming the functions of the Office of President when the president and vice president are unable to perform their functions, take and subscribe to the oath set out in relation to the Office of President.”
The court, however, dismissed the relief of the plaintiffs for a declaration that by refusing to take the presidential oath, the Speaker committed a high crime. The Supreme Court dismissed the relief on the grounds that it was not properly brought before it.
It also dismissed joining Mr Adjaho to the case as a person and not his office as Speaker.
There were two separate suits by the chief executive officer of an Accra-based radio station, Citi FM, Mr Samuel Atta Mensah and a US-based Ghanaian lawyer, Professor Kwaku Asare.
The Graphic, in a story under the headline, “NDC suspends Sam George, Amasa Namoale,” reported that the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) had suspended Samuel Nartey George and Nii Amasa Namoale, two of its newly elected Parliamentary aspirants in the Greater Accra region, for indiscipline.
The suspensions take effect from December 1, 2015 pending hearing by the Disciplinary Committee in line with the party's constitution.
The suspensions are in relation to accusations by the two that the Greater Accra regional executive of the party perpetuated fraud during the NDC primaries on 15 November 2015.
These conducts or activities had embarrassed the party and brought it into hatred, ridicule and contempt, the regional executive said.
An Accra-based radio station, Starr FM, reported that Abrahim Musah, a 48-year-old from the Dormaa Municipal Assembly in the Brong Ahafo region, was adjudged the 2015 National Best Farmer in Ghana.
He has about 100 acres of cocoa farm, crops, animals and a tilapia fish farm.
-0- PANA MA 5Dec2015
The media also highlighted the Supreme Court ruling on whether the Speaker should swear the oath of office any time the president and vice president are unable to perform their duties and the celebration of National Farmers’ Day.
The state-owned Graphic reported on Monday that the Karpowership, which is one of several measures being carried out to end the electricity challenges, docked at the Tema harbour, some 25 km east of Accra, on Saturday from Turkey.
It said government officials and technical experts who inspected the vessel at Tema Fishing Harbour on Sunday were, however, not forthcoming with information as to when it will start generating power.
The barge is expected to be hooked onto the Ghana Grid Company station in Tema, ahead of a test run to pave way for power production. It is about the size of a football pitch and the height of a three storey building.
The Minister of Power, Dr Kwabena Donkor, who led government officials to formally welcome the barge, appealed to Ghanaians not to expect an end to the power crisis with the arrival of the ship. The other power plants that are almost complete would help end the crisis.
The Graphic reported that the Supreme Court in a ruling on Thursday said the Speaker of Parliament, Edward Doe Adjaho violated the constitution in November last year when he refused to take the oath of office of president in the absence of President John Dramani Mahama and Vice President Kwesi Amissah-Arthur. His argument was that there was no need for him to take the oath again as he had taken the same oath on a previous occasion.
“Doe Adjaho violated constitution on acting president oath – Supreme Court,” was the headline of the story in the Graphic.
It reported that the Supreme Court, in a unanimous decision on Thursday, declared that the Speaker of Parliament violated the constitution when he declined to be sworn in to act as president when the president and vice president were out of the country in November 2014.
The nine-member panel, presided over by Mr Justice Sophia Akuffo, also averred that the “Speaker of Parliament shall always, before assuming the functions of the Office of President when the president and vice president are unable to perform their functions, take and subscribe to the oath set out in relation to the Office of President.”
The court, however, dismissed the relief of the plaintiffs for a declaration that by refusing to take the presidential oath, the Speaker committed a high crime. The Supreme Court dismissed the relief on the grounds that it was not properly brought before it.
It also dismissed joining Mr Adjaho to the case as a person and not his office as Speaker.
There were two separate suits by the chief executive officer of an Accra-based radio station, Citi FM, Mr Samuel Atta Mensah and a US-based Ghanaian lawyer, Professor Kwaku Asare.
The Graphic, in a story under the headline, “NDC suspends Sam George, Amasa Namoale,” reported that the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) had suspended Samuel Nartey George and Nii Amasa Namoale, two of its newly elected Parliamentary aspirants in the Greater Accra region, for indiscipline.
The suspensions take effect from December 1, 2015 pending hearing by the Disciplinary Committee in line with the party's constitution.
The suspensions are in relation to accusations by the two that the Greater Accra regional executive of the party perpetuated fraud during the NDC primaries on 15 November 2015.
These conducts or activities had embarrassed the party and brought it into hatred, ridicule and contempt, the regional executive said.
An Accra-based radio station, Starr FM, reported that Abrahim Musah, a 48-year-old from the Dormaa Municipal Assembly in the Brong Ahafo region, was adjudged the 2015 National Best Farmer in Ghana.
He has about 100 acres of cocoa farm, crops, animals and a tilapia fish farm.
-0- PANA MA 5Dec2015
