The Minority Chief Whip, Frank Annoh-Dompreh, has criticized the Chairman of the Appointments Committee, Bernard Ahiafor, for restricting the Minority’s right to ask as many questions as they deem necessary during vetting.
Tensions ran high during the committee’s session on Thursday, January 30, as the Minority and Majority caucuses clashed over the vetting of Kwabena Mintah Akandoh and Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa. The disagreement arose when the Minority proposed rescheduling the vetting to Friday, citing concerns over the proceedings. However, the Majority rejected the suggestion, insisting that the process should continue as planned.
In an interview, Frank Annoh-Dompreh accused Bernard Ahiafor of limiting the Minority’s ability to thoroughly question nominees. He explained that because the Chairman often denies them the opportunity to ask all their intended questions, they are forced to rely on Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin to take up the task, which prolongs the vetting process.
He defended the extended questioning, citing a precedent set when the National Democratic Congress (NDC) was in opposition. He noted that it took three days to vet former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta, arguing that there should be no issue with Afenyo-Markin taking three hours to vet a nominee.
He argued that if the Chairman of the Appointments Committee becomes more accommodating and allows each member to ask their intended questions, the process will be more efficient and run smoothly as expected.
