Parliamentary Probe: Appointments Committee Chair, Clerk, and MPs give accounts of vetting chaos

The Special Committee investigating the chaos that erupted during the ministerial vetting on January 30, 2025, has heard testimonies from key figures involved in the incident, with conflicting accounts emerging over what led to the disruptions.

Appearing before the committee yesterday, the Chairman of the Appointments Committee, Bernard Ahiafor, accused the Minority Caucus of deliberately causing disorder during the proceedings.

He claimed their actions led to the destruction of parliamentary property and created a hostile atmosphere that ultimately derailed the vetting session.

“I perceived members on the Minority side to be putting up an attitude that is very disruptive. For me, I find it very difficult to go back on my words having agreed with you this is what we are going to do,” Mr Ahiafor stated.

He further alleged that the Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, issued direct instructions to his members to disrupt the process.

“I heard the Minority Leader requesting that they should call some people into the vetting room, and in no time, I saw people walking in. That very day, the Minority Leader was so harsh to the Second Deputy Whip, Jerry Shaib. I intend not to repeat the words that were used against him,” he said.

Mr. Ahiafor recounted that tensions escalated when a comment was made in Twi, triggering a chaotic scene that saw MPs pulling out cables and causing pandemonium.

“Before I could realise, somebody said something in Twi and they started pulling the cables and there was pandemonium. The whole place became very hostile,” he recalled.

Meanwhile, Clerk to the Appointments Committee, Gifty Jiagge-Gobah, told the committee that she left the heated session after receiving an order from her husband to exit the premises.

“They [Majority] kept screaming at me that I should let the nominee take the oath. The Minority Leader was also screaming at me [the video is there to prove everything]. So, at a point, I got hot, so I started fanning myself and I took a seat,” she said.

“At the tail end when the Majority Leader was trying to engage both sides, I got three calls and a message from my dear husband instructing me to leave the premises immediately; that order I took, and I left,” she added.

Her account comes after Minority Leader Afenyo-Markin apologised to her on February 4 following earlier accusations that she had been partisan in her conduct.

Also appearing before the committee, the Minister for Roads and Highways, Governs Kwame Agbodza, dismissed claims that Foreign Minister-designate Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa was “smuggled in” for vetting.

He clarified that Ablakwa’s vetting had already been scheduled for January 30, but delays from the previous day, caused by the unexpected appearance of social activist Oliver Barker-Vormawor, meant that more nominees had to be vetted than initially planned.

“I know Hon. Ablakwa wanted to be vetted a week before the incident happened. They couldn’t give him the opportunity to be vetted. So, originally, Hon. Ablakwa was supposed to be vetted on Thursday, January 30. So if anybody says Hon. Ablakwa was smuggled in, that is not true,” Agbodza explained.

He added that the committee had agreed to vet five nominees carried over from January 29 alongside the three originally scheduled for January 30.

“The spillover from Wednesday, January 29, 2025, where five nominees originally were scheduled to be vetted, were added to the three. We had a situation of three plus five,” he clarified.

Majority Leader and MP for Bawku Central, Mahama Ayariga, also testified before the committee, revealing that he attempted to mediate between the Majority and Minority before tensions escalated into violence.

“I spoke to both sides and tried to convince them, but each side was adamant. The pressure was coming from the fact that the nominees were already scheduled for that day, and they had come with their families and traditional leaders,” he explained.

Ayariga noted that the refusal to reschedule the vetting, as the Minority had requested, contributed to the heightened frustration that led to the vandalisation of microphones and tables.

“The nominees were here with their families and their chiefs, and to tell them to go and come back the next day was going to be a major inconvenience,” he said.

Adding to the testimonies, legal practitioner and parliamentary affairs analyst, Kwesi Cobbah, weighed in on the issue, stressing that parliamentary leadership must take proactive steps to prevent such incidents in the future.

“This is not the first time we have seen tensions flare up during parliamentary proceedings, but what happened on January 30 was beyond what should be acceptable in a democratic institution,” he stated.

Cobbah urged Speaker Alban Bagbin to implement stricter procedural guidelines to ensure that vetting sessions are conducted in a professional and orderly manner.

“The credibility of our parliamentary processes is at stake. If such chaos continues unchecked, it will erode public confidence in Parliament’s ability to function effectively,” he warned.

The committee’s probe is expected to conclude soon, with a final report to be submitted to Speaker Alban Bagbin for further action.