Minister-designate for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has demanded an unqualified apology from Minority Leader of Parliament, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, over allegations that he violated vetting procedures.
In response to a press conference held in Parliament earlier today by the minority, Okudzeto Ablakwa during his vetting before the Appointments Committee, expressed his strong dissatisfaction with claims that he was ‘smuggled’ into the Appointments Committee room. The Minority leader who said “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.”
Contrary to this assertion, Ablakwa stated that he was, in fact, scheduled to be vetted by Parliament’s Appointments Committee on Thursday, January 30, 2024, right after the lunch break, as indicated in the official invitation letter from the clerk of the committee.
“I was to come right after the lunch break at 12:30 PM,” he clarified.
He also expressed concern over how Afenyo-Markin’s account of events portrayed him as a “hooligan” who disregarded parliamentary procedure. Additionally, he refuted allegations made by the Member of Parliament for Old Tafo, Vincent Ekow Assafuah, accusing him of using “backdoor tactics,” which he said had unfairly damaged his reputation.
“This is a very serious matter. It’s a reputation issue. I was not smuggled here; there was no conspiracy,” Ablakwa asserted.
The foreign affairs minister Designate demanded a formal apology from the Minority leader. “We demand an unqualified apology from the respected Minority Leader. My chiefs will not accept this. My guests, whose names I submitted to you on the 27th of January, will not accept this. We are not some idle people who will be smuggled here.”
