The Minority in Parliament has leveled allegations against the Chairman of the Appointments Committee, Bernard Ahiafor, accusing him of bias and partisanship during the vetting of ministerial nominees.
Dr. Gideon Boako, Member of Parliament for Tano North, made these allegations at a press conference on Wednesday, stating that the Chairman’s conduct hindered a thorough vetting process.
According to Dr. Boako, the Chairman denied the Minority members of the committee the opportunity to conduct a thorough vetting 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 cited specific incidents, including the Chairman allegedly shouting at committee members 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 emphasized that the Minority’s protest against the Chairman’s conduct was a stand for parliamentary oversight and accountability. He called for a more transparent and impartial process to ensure that nominees are properly scrutinized 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.
