adverts
Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin has pushed back against what he describes as intimidation tactics by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) members on the Appointments Committee following chaotic scenes during Thursday evening’s vetting session.
Addressing the media after the disruptions, Afenyo-Markin defended the minority’s stance, asserting that they would not be deterred from asking critical questions during the vetting process.
“You are aware that some of the nominees, we don’t even ask them questions. Where we have to ask the relevant questions, we ask. Nothing will stop us from asking the necessary questions,” he stated.
adverts
He accused the minority of trying to bully the majority into submission, stating, “NDC is always out to intimidate people. Always bullying. They can call us a micro-minority. They can say whatever they want to say. We’ve been cooperating with them.”
The controversy, he explained, stemmed from an initial agreement to vet three nominees. However, according to him, the minority later attempted to push for additional nominees without proper consensus.
“Today, we agreed to do three. The committee is on a partisan track. Indeed, she is a typical NDC. She agrees with them and then informs people to come,” he said, without naming anyone specifically.
He accused the minority of unilaterally altering the vetting schedule, claiming, “All the practice has always been that the chairman and ranking member would agree as to who and who will come. Yesterday, there was no agreement. The chairman was with me; no meeting. Then at night, 10 p.m., the clerk advertised 10 this morning.”
According to Afenyo-Markin, his deputy attended a pre-sitting meeting where both sides initially settled on vetting three nominees. However, the minority allegedly kept shifting their position.
“They agreed to three. Later in the afternoon, they said four, and then again, said, ‘Oh, let’s compromise on one more.’ We said okay; they made it five.”
Despite the back-and-forth negotiations, he claimed that the minority had an ulterior motive, hoping the majority would walk out in protest.
“Just as we finished the three, we realised that they had paraded several other nominees thinking that we would boycott. We will not boycott.”
His comments come after a vetting session that turned chaotic, leading to the destruction of tables and microphones, forcing the police to intervene to restore order.
With tensions still high, it remains uncertain how the Appointments Committee will proceed with the rest of the vetting process without further confrontations.
GOT A STORY?
Contact: +233243201960 or email: manuelnkansah33@gmail.com
