Parliament must reject ‘bitter and vengeful’ Martin Amidu as Special Prosecutor - CenProG

The following is a statement issued by pressure group, CenProG asking the Parliament of Ghana to reject the nomination of former Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Martin A.B.K. Amidu as Special Prosecutor.

The statement was issued moments after President Akufo-Addo announced Martin Amidu’s nomination at the Flagstaff House in Accra Thursday evening.
It is signed by CenProG Executive Secretary, Sawadogo Mahmoud and the Executive Director, Mallam Yahya Mohammed.

PARLIAMENT MUST REJECT NOMINATION OF BITTER AND VENGEFUL MARTIN ALAMISI AMIDU AS SPECIAL PROSECUTOR

The Center for Progressive Governance (CenProG) received the announcement of the nomination of Martin Alamisi Amidu as Special Prosecutor with utmost shock and will like to call on Parliament to reject the president's nominee because he is too bitter, vengeful and does not in any way reflect the independence of the office he will be holding in the event parliament approves his nomination.

CenProG together with well meaning Ghanaians are fully aware that Mr Amidu, ever since he was sacked from office as Attorney General for insubordination had been on a collision course with the NDC and has minced no words in expressing his disdain for the NDC with his numerous epistles. He has at times sounded and acted like a desperate and embittered person out for vengeance and these traits clearly render him unfit for an office supposed to be INDEPENDENT.

The office of the Special Prosecutor had generated a lot of debate and so it was incumbent on the appointing authority to appoint someone who was unblemished and principled. Martin Alamisi Amidu does not fall under this category as apart from his record of vengefulness, he is also betrayed by the fact that he had indeed criticised the Special Prosecutor Bill only to turn around to accept an appointment under same once it has been passed into law. A principled person would have stood his grounds and rejected the appointment based on the irregularities claimed in his 25 page paper.

CenProG believes the President also erred in extolling courage as one of Mr Amidu's virtues when he is noted for his pomposity and insubordination. We cannot have a Special Prosecutor who cannot work within the remit of the law that appointed him and we therefore call on Parliament to rectify this by rejecting his nomination.

CenProG will be sending a petition to the Appointments Committee of Parliament on this matter once Parliament resumes sitting on 23rd January, 2018.
God Bless our homeland Ghana and make it GREAT and STRONG.

Signed
Sawadogo Mahmoud
Executive Secretary, CenProG

Mallam Yahya Mohammed
Executive Director, CenProG

Cc:
His Excellency Nana Akufo-Addo, Flagstaff House, Accra.
The Rt Honourable Speaker of Parliament, Parliament House, Accra.
The Majority Caucus, Parliament House, Accra.
The Minority Caucus, Parliament House, Accra.
The Appointments Committee of Parliament, Parliament House, Accra.
The Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Attorney General and Ministry of Justice, Accra.
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