Vetting Chaos: My Husband Ordered Me to Leave- Appointment Committee Clerk Reveals

Gifty Jiagge-Gobah, the clerk to the Appointments Committee, has disclosed that she exited the tense ministerial vetting session on January 30, 2025, following a direct order from her husband.

The session, which descended into chaos over the nominations of Kwabena Mintah Akandoh and Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa for Minister for Health and Minister for Foreign Affairs, respectively, saw sharp divisions between the majority and minority sides.

Appearing before the Special Committee set up by Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin on February 5, Jiagge-Gobah recounted the intense pressure she faced from both sides of the chamber.

“The majority kept screaming at me to administer the oath to the nominee, while the minority also opposed it. The situation was so heated that I started fanning myself and took a seat,” she stated.

She further revealed that at the height of the tensions, she received multiple calls and a message from her husband instructing her to leave immediately. “That order I took, and I left through another door,” she added.

Meanwhile, Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin has apologised to Jiagge-Gobah for his remarks during the vetting session. He had previously accused her of bias and procedural lapses, leading to calls for her resignation.

However, following an appeal by Adaklu MP and Minister for Roads and Highways, Governs Kwame Agbodza, Afenyo-Markin expressed regret, admitting that his frustration led to an unprofessional reaction.

The incident has further fuelled debates on parliamentary decorum and the neutrality of clerks in the vetting process.

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