Minority accuses Chair of the Appointments Committee of bias in the ministerial vetting process
The Minority in Parliament has accused Bernard Ahiafor, Chairman of the Appointments Committee, of bias and partisanship during the vetting of ministerial nominees.
Dr. Gideon Boako, the Member of Parliament for Tano North, raised these allegations at a press conference on Wednesday, claiming that the Chairman’s actions obstructed a proper vetting process.
Dr. Boako further stated that the Chairman prevented Minority members of the committee from carrying out a thorough examination of the nominees.
“The Chairman of the Appointments Committee denied the Ghanaian people and the minority members of the committee the opportunity to conduct a thorough vetting of the nominees. He was protective of the nominees and extremely partisan,” Dr. Boako stated.
He pointed to specific incidents, including the Chairman allegedly shouting at committee members in an attempt to suppress scrutiny.
“The Chairman denied legitimate members of the committee the opportunity to ask relevant questions and railroaded the nominees through the process.”
Dr. Boako stressed that the Minority’s protest against the Chairman’s conduct was a defense of parliamentary oversight and accountability. He called for a more transparent and impartial process to ensure that nominees undergo proper scrutiny in the interest of democracy.
“The Chairman and the majority members of the Appointments Committee owe it to Ghana to assist us in fulfilling the work entrusted to us by the Constitution. If this is not changed moving forward, we fear that irreparable harm will be done to our democracy, with round pegs occupying square holes,” Dr. Boako stated.
