The Member of Parliament for the Old-Tafo constituency, Vincent Ekow Assafuah, Esq., has compared the Parliament of Ghana to a secondary school amidst recent brouhaha in the chamber regarding the vetting of President Mahama’s appointees.

In a social media post on January 31, 2025, the MP suggested that democracy in the chamber is limited.

“Parliament is becoming a secondary school where the headmaster can summarily dismiss a student without due process,” his post read.

His post comes after a heated dispute between Ranking Member, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, and Committee Chairman, Bernard Ahiafor, over a directive issued by the Speaker of Parliament during the vetting of Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the Foreign Affairs Minister-nominee.

The disagreement raised questions about the validity of the committee’s quorum after the Speaker decided to reconstitute the committee, which had earlier been caught up in a chaotic session the previous night.

Afenyo-Markin expressed concerns that the Speaker’s decision had the potential to affect the legitimacy of the proceedings.

“The Speaker has issued a directive, and until there is clarity on its implications, we cannot proceed as though nothing has happened,” he argued, calling for the vetting session to be suspended until the matter was fully addressed.

However, Mahama Ayariga, the Majority Leader in Parliament, disagreed, dismissing the concerns about quorum.

“This directive does not affect our quorum in any way,” Ayariga countered, reinforcing the NDC’s stance that the session could continue without disruption.

In response, Chairman Ahiafor sided with the NDC members, declaring that Minority MPs who felt uncomfortable with the directive were free to leave. “If you have issues with the directive, you are at liberty to leave,” he remarked, implying that those unhappy with the changes had the option to recuse themselves.

This remark did not sit well with Afenyo-Markin, who immediately demanded a retraction.

“Mr. Chairman, withdraw that comment! If you don’t, the NPP caucus will recuse itself from this vetting process,” he insisted, making it clear that the NPP would not participate under such conditions.

Despite the demand, Ahiafor refused to back down, interpreting Afenyo-Markin’s response as a sign of his intention to step away from the session.

“If you say you are recusing yourself, I take it in good faith,” Ahiafor replied, standing firm in his position.

Meanwhile, the Minority side of the Appointments Committee has withdrawn from the vetting process of ministerial nominees expressing concerns over a previous decision by Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin that demanded the committee be reconstituted.

On the other hand, Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin has suspended four Members of Parliament (MPs) for two weeks following violent clashes during a ministerial vetting session on Thursday, 30 January 2025.

The suspended MPs are Frank Annoh-Dompreh (NPP, Nsawam-Adoagyiri), Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor (NDC, South Dayi), Alhassan Tampuli (NPP, Gushegu), and Jerry Ahmed Shaib (NDC, Weija-Gbawe).

As confirmed by GhanaWeb's George Ayisi, a special parliamentary committee, chaired by Ho West MP Emmanuel Bedzrah, has been tasked with investigating the incident and submitting a report within 10 days.

Speaker Bagbin also directed the Clerk of Parliament to file a formal complaint with the Ghana Police Service for a criminal probe into the conduct of MPs involved.

He further declared that no public funds will be used to repair damaged parliamentary property, and that MPs found culpable will be surcharged for repairs.



AM/KA

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