Mahama Ayariga’s name pop up as possible successor to Ato Forson as Majority Leader in 9th Parliament

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There are suggestions the Member of Parliament (MP) for Bawku, Mahama Ayariga, will be appointed as the Majority Leader in the 9th Parliament to replace Cassiel Ato Forson, should Dr Forson be confirmed as the Minister of Finance.

Dr Forson is currently the Majority Leader and has been nominated as Minister of Finance.

He was vetted by the Appointments Committee of Parliament on Monday and should he be approved as a minister, he may not be able to combine both functions and therefore the National Democratic Congress (NDC) caucus in Parliament would require a new leader.

It is following this that the Bawku Central MP’s name have come up as a possible successor to Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, the MP for Ajumako Enyan Essiam.

Graphic Online understands that Mahama Ayariga’s nomination is currently being considered by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) leadership. The NDC leadership in Parliament saw a major reshuffle nearly two years ago, on January 24, 2023, when Cassiel Ato Forson replaced Haruna Iddrisu as Minority Leader.

The National Chairman of the NDC, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, justified the sudden change by indicating that it was part of the party’s restructuring from the grassroots to the flagbearer.

Profile of Mahama Ayariga

Mahama Ayariga was born on May 24, 1974. He is a lawyer by profession and a politician. He was the Minister of Information and Media Relations and the Minister of Youth and Sports under the previous John Dramani Mahama administration (24 July 2012 to 7 January 2017).

Mr Ayariga was born in Bawku in the Upper East Region of Ghana. He attended school in Ghana, Nigeria, and the United States of America. He attended Barewa College in Zaria in Kaduna State, Nigeria.

He holds a Master of Law (LLM) from Harvard Law School in the United States of America and a Bachelor of Law (LLB) from the University of Ghana, Legon.

He started his career as a Teaching Assistant in Natural Resources Law and International Law at the Faculty of Law, University of Ghana. He also co-founded and was the Executive Director of the Legal Resources Centre, an organization that promotes human rights, community development, and social justice.

 Mr Ayariga became a member of Ghana’s parliament for the Bawku Central Constituency from January, 2005, until he lost his seat to Adamu Dramani Sakande of the New Patriotic Party in the 2008 elections.

The seat became vacant when Adamu was convicted and jailed by a court for standing for the election while being a citizen of another country, which is against the Ghana constitution. Ayariga recaptured the seat in the 2012 General Elections.

In 2009, when Prof John Evans Atta Mills won the elections, Ayariga became the Presidential Spokesman before he was subsequently appointed Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry and Deputy Minister of Education.

Mr Ayariga was nominated for appointment as Minister for Information by President John Dramani Mahama in January 2013. He serves on the Appointments Committee of Ghana’s 9th Parliament of the 4th Republic.

By: Beatrice Laryea

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