Alexander Afenyo-Markin
Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin has accused the Clerk to the Appointments Committee, Gifty Jiagge-Gobah, of being a “partisan clerk” and showing favoritism toward the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC).
The allegation follows a clash between Majority and Minority members over the continuation of vetting for ministerial nominees beyond 10:00 PM on Thursday, January 30, 2025.
Mr. Afenyo-Markin claimed that Jiagge-Gobah, who is responsible for coordinating committee activities, had undermined the Minority’s efforts during the vetting process.
He alleged that she had been advertising committee meetings in ways that favoured the NDC, including a meeting scheduled at 10 PM on January 29, despite there being no prior agreement or meeting arranged.
“The nominees—where we have to ask them questions, we do. Nothing will stop us from asking the necessary questions. It’s not every nominee; some of their nominees spent five minutes,” Mr. Afenyo-Markin told the media shortly after the incident.
“NDC is always up to intimidating people. They think they must always bully,” he said.
He added, “We will not accept any bullying. They can call us a micro-minority, they can say whatever they want. We have been cooperating with them.”
Mr. Afenyo-Markin further accused Ms. Jiagge-Gobah of siding with the ruling party and informing nominees about committee meetings without prior consultation or agreement with the Minority.
He characterized her behaviour as typical of someone with clear NDC allegiance and raised concerns about her impartiality in fulfilling her duties as a public servant.
Tensions in the committee room reached a boiling point when tables and microphones were destroyed, prompting police intervention to restore order and prevent further violence.
“We agreed to vet four nominees, not six,” Afenyo-Markin explained. “The Majority’s sudden move to parade two more nominees after we had already finished caused confusion and disruption.”
As tensions escalated, security was heightened in the conference room. The police’s intervention helped defuse the immediate threat of violence, but the damage to the committee’s infrastructure and the increasingly tense political atmosphere underscored the deepening divisions between the Majority and Minority factions.
By Ernest Kofi Adu, Parliament House