The Minority in Parliament has accused the Chairman of the Appointments Committee, Bernard Ahiafor, of partisanship and obstructing the thorough vetting of ministerial nominees.
The allegations, presented during a press briefing, paint a troubling picture of the recent vetting process.
According to the Minority, the committee members were denied adequate time and resources to scrutinize the nominees effectively.
They said the CVs of the nominees, which are essential for the vetting process, were not made available ahead of time.
When the documents were finally distributed during the vetting sessions, the Chairman allegedly refused to allow preliminary discussions on them, departing from established practice.
“The deliberate refusal to provide the CVs in advance and the refusal to entertain preliminary scrutiny of those CVs were calculated attempts to obstruct constructive and effective vetting,” a spokesperson for the Minority, Dr. Gideon Boako, New Patriotic Party (NPP) MP for Tano North, declared.
He accused the Chairman of adopting a partisan stance to shield the nominees from scrutiny.
Members of the committee reportedly faced interruptions and hostility when they attempted to ask probing questions.
One incident highlighted by the Minority involved Abena Osei-Asare, the Member of Parliament for Atiwa East, who was allegedly shouted at by the Chairman during proceedings.
“The Chairman denied legitimate members of the committee the opportunity to ask relevant questions and railroaded the nominees through the process,” Dr. Boako added.
The Minority argued that such behavior undermines Parliament’s oversight role and shortchanges the Ghanaian public, who expect thorough vetting of individuals nominated for key government positions.
They characterized the Chairman’s actions as a breach of parliamentary decorum and an affront to the constitutional duty of the Appointments Committee.
In their statement, the Minority warned that the lack of transparency and fairness in the vetting process could erode public confidence in governance.
“If this is not changed moving forward, we fear that irreparable harm will be done to our democracy, with round pegs occupying square holes,” they cautioned.
They called on Mr. Ahiafor and the majority members of the Appointments Committee to prioritize accountability and collaboration in subsequent vetting processes to ensure the integrity of Ghana’s democratic institutions.
By Ernest Kofi Adu, Parliament House