Member of Parliament for Manhyia South, Nana Agyei Baffour-Awuah, has justified the Minority’s walkout during the vetting of Chief Justice nominee, Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, describing it as a strategic act of restraint aimed at preserving parliamentary decorum.
Speaking on JoyNews’ AM Show, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) legislator clarified that the decision was not premeditated but rather taken in response to real-time developments during the Appointments Committee session.
“There was no prior meeting. It was the events that took place at that moment, taking into account historical events at such appointment committees since we went to Parliament in this Ninth Parliament,” he explained.
According to him, the minority’s action was a calculated move to avoid unnecessary confrontation, which could have cast Parliament in a negative light both locally and internationally.
“We decided whether it would be in the interest of the minority, in the interest of the nation—not just this country, but outside of it—people would say our Parliament is being chaotic. We just wanted to avoid that. And so we took the peaceful position, the peaceful approach,” he said.
Nana Baffour-Awuah emphasised that the walkout reflected a desire to maintain Ghana’s image as a peace-loving democracy, adding that the Minority considered public perception before taking action.
“Ghanaians are peace-loving people, and we felt walking out was better than engaging in a heated debate that could easily spiral out of control,” he added.
The minority’s walkout was in protest of ongoing legal challenges surrounding President John Mahama’s nomination of Justice Baffoe-Bonnie as Chief Justice.
Despite the protest, the majority side proceeded with the vetting process, arguing that Parliament had a constitutional obligation to continue in the absence of any court injunction.
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