The Minority in Parliament has accused Bernard Ahiafor, Chairman of the Appointments Committee, of displaying partisanship during the vetting of ministerial nominees appointed by President John Mahama. They claim his conduct undermined the fairness and integrity of the process.

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At a press conference on Wednesday, Dr. Gideon Boako, Member of Parliament for Tano North, criticized Ahiafor for what he described as a biased approach that hindered proper scrutiny of the nominees.

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"Ladies and gentlemen, the Chairman of the Appointments Committee was the first real obstacle to a diligent vetting of the ministerial nominees," Dr. Boako asserted.

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He accused Ahiafor of shielding nominees from rigorous questioning, alleging that the Chairman's behavior compromised the committee's responsibility to hold nominees accountable.

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"He 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 added.

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Highlighting specific instances, Dr. Boako mentioned the Chairman's aggressive approach, including allegedly shouting at committee members to stifle questioning.

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"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," he remarked.

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The Minority defended their protest against the Chairman’s conduct, emphasizing their commitment to upholding parliamentary oversight despite Ahiafor’s behavior.

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"It must be noted that the altercation between our side of the committee and the Chairman was a direct protest against his conduct. Under the façade of a lack of capacity, he disregarded the fact that those he bullied were members of Parliament, and that the committee is a sub-body of the House," Dr. Boako stated.

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Calling for a fairer process, Dr. Boako urged greater transparency and impartiality in future vetting exercises, stressing the importance of accountability in democratic governance.

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