‘No ministerial nominee needs to pay for approval’ – Mahama Ayariga rejects bribery allegations

The majority leader in Parliament, Mahama Ayariga, has strongly rejected claims that members of the Appointments Committee demanded bribes from ministerial nominees in exchange for their approval.

Responding to allegations made by lawyer and activist Oliver Barker-Vormawor, Ayariga, the Member of Parliament for Bawku Central, asserted that the committee has nothing to hide and has invited Barker-Vormawor to provide evidence to support his claims.

“I had wind of what he said, and then the chairman reached out. I said, Call him; let him come. If he has anything and he can substantiate it, we need to deal with it openly and transparently,” Ayariga stated in an interview on Joy News’ PM Express on Tuesday, January 28.

Ayariga stressed the importance of integrity in public service, emphasising that maintaining a strong reputation is crucial for success. “You will go very far if you are perceived to have integrity. Spending time to erase all doubts regarding your integrity is very important,” he remarked.

To further underscore the need for transparency, Ayariga shared a personal experience involving an attempt by an external actor to influence the confirmation of a sector minister. He recalled being approached by a businessperson who wanted to mobilise funds to “help” the minister get approved. Ayariga rejected the proposal, stating, “I told the person, ‘I don’t think there’s a need for you and people in your sector to be mobilising money to help your minister because we won’t even accept it.’”

He clarified that such actions do not reflect the reality within the Appointments Committee. “If Barker-Vormawor has anything about money being handed over to Appointments Committee members, he should just come forward, and we’ll look into it,” Ayariga added.

The majority leader also highlighted the strength of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in Parliament, noting that with 184 members and four independent members, there is little political incentive for ministerial nominees to pay bribes. “NDC is in power. We can approve anybody,” he asserted.

Ayariga explained that nominees typically face no challenges in approval unless there is a serious petition against them. “No nominee needs to give anybody any money because, as a party, you will be whipped in line to vote according to the party’s interest,” he said, suggesting that any nominee who meets the NDC’s standards would have no difficulty securing approval.

Regarding the credibility of the allegations, Ayariga expressed doubt, stating, “I have not seen it, so I would be surprised if anything comes up tomorrow. But we encourage anyone with information to come forward.”

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