The first significant barrier to a thorough screening was the Appointments Committee Chairman — Minority

The minority in parliament has accused Appointments Committee chairman Bernard Ahiafor of being biassed and partisan in his screening of cabinet candidates. At a news conference on Wednesday, Tano North Member of Parliament Dr. Gideon Boako asserted that the Chairman’s actions hindered a thorough and meticulous screening process.

“The first significant barrier to a thorough screening of the ministerial nominees, ladies and gentlemen, was the Chairman of the Appointments Committee,” Dr. Boako said.

“He denied the minority members of the committee and the Ghanaian public the chance to thoroughly vet the nominations. He was fiercely partisan and protective of the nominations.

Dr. Boako referenced specific incidents from the meetings, including the Chairman allegedly shouting at committee members to silence dissent.

“Members of the committee were shouted at by the Chairman. You all witnessed how the Member for Atiwa East, Abena Osei-Asare, was shouted at in an attempt to protect the nominees.

The Chairman denied legitimate members of the committee the opportunity to ask relevant questions and railroaded the nominees through the process,” Dr Boako stated.

The Minority also provided justification for their protest by describing it as a stand for legislative examination of the Chairman’s conduct.

It should be mentioned that the confrontation between the Chairman and our committee was a direct protest of his behaviour.

He ignored the reality that the victims of his bullying were members of Parliament and that the committee is a sub-body of the House, all while claiming incompetence, he continued.

He called for a more open and impartial process to ensure that nominations are carefully considered for the purposes of democracy and accountability.