General News of Thursday, 26 July 2012

Source: GNA

President Mahama holds his first Cabinet Meeting

President John Dramani Mahama on Wednesday began his first day in office with an emergency cabinet session, following the demise of the late President John Evans Atta Mills on Tuesday July 24 in Accra.

Though the agenda of the meeting was not made known to the media, it is believed that it included possible nominees for the position of Vice-President of Ghana.

Prior to the commencement of business, President Mahama led the cabinet ministers including Henry Martey Newman, Chief of Staff and the Secretary to Cabinet, Ben Eghan, in a time of prayer to commit the soul of the departed President Mills to the care of the almighty.

President said, “It is said that in every adversity there are opportunities…may this adversity that has befallen us turn into opportunities for the government, God should give us the strength to continue with the Better Ghana Agenda.”

President Mahama arrived at the Castle at around 11.20 am in the company of his Aide-de Camp, security officers and upon alighting from an ash saloon car, a grief-stricken but confident looking President Mahama waved to some staff at the Presidency and the media who had assembled in droves to capture whatever was going to transpire.

He then headed straight to his office, where he occupied as Vice-President, and later emerged in the company of Mr. Martey Newman, Mr. Eghan and some officials to begin the emergency cabinet session in an adjoining building.

Although all Ministers at the meeting were tight-lipped, it is believed that they deliberated on issues concerning the performance of late President Mills funeral, the nomination of a new Vice President and the re-organisation of the NDC party to elect a new Presidential candidate for the December general election.**