The Minority caucus in the Parliament of Ghana, following a boycott of vetting procedures on Thursday, has accused the Majority of violating parliamentary procedures, particularly in ministerial vetting processes.
Speaking at a press conference in Parliament, Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin stated that while the Minority is willing to cooperate with the ruling NDC government, they have observed increasing acts of oppression from the Majority. “The Majority must take note that they won an election, but they must work with us to govern the nation,” he said.
Addressing the disruption of the vetting process, which he described as a clear example of the Majority’s oppressive tactics, Afenyo-Markin accused the NDC caucus of disregarding pre-sitting agreements on the number of nominees appearing before the Appointments Committee. “Yesterday, there was an agreement to have only three nominees for the day. They later changed it to four, and we agreed. Then they requested a fifth nominee, only for us to realize that after the fifth nominee, the NDC had smuggled Mr. Okudzeto Ablakwa into the committee room.”
This, he explained, displeased the Minority, who were not prepared to vet an additional nominee who was not scheduled. “We will not allow them to use that so-called Majority to force their way. It won’t happen. In fact, we are not going to boycott any proceedings; boycott is not part of us. We will stay in and protest so that they will not have their way,” the Minority Leader asserted.
