Pollster Ali Moro says Youth and Sports Minister Mustapha Ussif was not among the casualties of president Akufo-Addo’s ministerial reshuffle because of his ties with Vice-President and leader of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia.
Following the recent poor performance of the senior national team at the just ended Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and the country’s recent declining fortunes in sporting activities in general, many had expected the president to relieve the Youth and Sports Minister of his duties.
However, he has survived a major reshuffle to have hit the government since it assumed office in 2017.
Speaking on why the minister may have been left at post despite his seemingly poor output, Ali Moro asserted that his ties with the Vice-President, who is now the party’s leader, saved him from the mass axing.
He indicated that the reshuffle was mainly targeted at replacing ministers loyal to president Akufo-Addo with loyalists of the Vice-President as the president intends to step back and allow Dr. Bawumia take charge ahead of the December polls.
“key people that are known to be close associate of Akufo-Addo are the people that have been moved out. If you look at all those that have been there, trust me, all of us would have been saying the Sports Minister should’ve gone looking at the issues with the Sports Ministry and the issues with the Black Stars.
But you look at where the Sports Minister coming from and then you understand that that is somebody that definitely the Vice-President wants to work with going forward,” he said in an interview on Dreamz FM.
This, in his view, led to the removal of key members of the government including former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta and former Health Minister Kwaku Agyeman Manu.
“If you look at the Finance Minister, very close relative of Akufo-Addo, he is out. The Minister of Health, a very close friend, he us gone. So these are close people to Akufo-Addo that they have actually strategically removed”.
