Mussa Dankwah Calls for Calm After Youths Set Fire at NDC Office Over Ministerial Appointments

Mussa Dankwah, the Executive Director of Global InfoAnalytics, has urged Ghanaians to manage their expectations regarding ministerial appointments, emphasizing that under the current 1992 Constitution, no Member of Parliament (MP) is entitled to a ministerial role or any other position by right.

His remarks come after a group of National Democratic Congress (NDC) youth in the Ho Central Constituency set fire to several office items in protest over President John Dramani Mahama’s failure to appoint someone from their constituency to his government.

The incident occurred on Tuesday evening, when the group, believed to be disgruntled party members, attacked the NDC office in Ho. They destroyed two computers, office files and documents, furniture, and other materials. In addition, they set car tyres ablaze in front of the party office and on the Ho market road, obstructing traffic. Personnel from the Ghana National Fire Service later arrived to extinguish the flames.

Speaking after the incident, Theophilus Adzanku, the Constituency Deputy Secretary, condemned the act of violence and called for calm among party members. He assured that the individuals responsible would be identified and dealt with appropriately, urging the youth to adopt peaceful and civil means to voice their concerns.

In a Facebook post, Mussa Dankwah addressed the situation, reminding Ghanaians that ministerial appointments are not made on a constituency basis. “Appointments are not based on constituency basis, the people of Ho Central and Bole must know. It is not about your MP, and no MP has the right to be appointed a minister or entitled to be appointed to any position for that matter,” he wrote.

Dankwah also noted that with the current political landscape and the large number of MPs, more qualified individuals are competing for ministerial roles, making it increasingly difficult for everyone to secure a position. He further stated that changes to the Constitution are needed to prevent such expectations and ensure that MPs remain focused on their legislative duties rather than ministerial appointments.

“The people of Ho Central and Bole must understand that when the constitution is eventually changed, these frustrations will stop,” he added, stressing the importance of constitutional reform to curb the entitlement mentality and improve governance in Ghana.