Afenyo-Markin implicated in ministerial vetting chaos by C’ttee chairman… says Minority’s actions were coordinated by him
Afenyo-Markin implicated in ministerial vetting chaos by C’ttee chairman… says Minority’s actions were coordinated by him
The Chairman of the Appointments Committee of Parliament, and First Deputy Speaker, Mr. Bernard Ahiafor, has imprecated the Effutu Lawmaker and leader of New Patriotic Party (NPP) Minority Caucus Mr. Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin in the chaotic scenes that unfolded during the ministerial vetting on Thursday, January 30, 2025.
The Chairman of Parliament’s Appointments Committee revealed that the nasty behaviour put up by some NPP members on the committee which resulted in chaotic scenes during the ministerial vetting was orchestrated by no other person but the Minority leader
According to him, the unparliamentary behaviour put up by NPP members on the committee was driven by Mr. Afenyo-Markin’s directives.
Testifying before the committee investigating the incident on Wednesday, February 5, 2025, Mr. Ahiafor expressed disappointment in the conduct of the Minority MPs, describing their actions as unexpected and disruptive.
The Chairman of Parliament’s Appointments Committee recounted witnessing Mr. Afenyo-Markin issuing instructions amid the commotion, which escalated tensions and contributed to the disorder in Parliament.
Mr. Ahiafor during his commentary condemned the disruptions, emphasizing the importance of maintaining decorum during parliamentary proceedings, especially in critical exercises such as the vetting of ministerial nominees.
“I heard the Minority leader requesting that they should call some people into the vetting room and in no time, I saw people walking into the room and that very day minority leader was so harsh to the second deputy whip, Jerry Shaib.
I intend not to repeat the words that were used against him. And so I realized that they were under some instruction from their leader to do certain things,” he told the investigative committee.
Mr. Ahiafor asserted that it was evident the Minority MPs were following specific orders from their leader, as they disrupted the vetting process by switching off microphones and causing destruction.
“To some extent, I did not understand what they wanted. Before I could realise somebody said something in Twi and they started pulling the cables and there was pandemonium. The whole place became very hostile. I was so much surprised by the incident of that day and I was just sitting down looking at them,” the Chairman of Parliament’s Appointments Committee said.
