The vetting of the first three ministerial appointment nominees of President John Dramani Mahama on Monday, January 13, 2025, saw a lot of drama with members of the Appointment Committee facing off on a number of occasions.

One man who was a constant figure in most of the drama is the Minority Leader and Member of Parliament for Effutu, Alexander Kwamina Afenyo-Markin.

The Minority Leader, whether intended or unintended, was a thorn in the flesh of the Chairman of the Appointment Committee of Parliament, Bernard Ahiafor; the Majority Caucus members of the committee as well as the three nominees - Minister of Finance-designate Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, Minister of Energy-designate John Jinapor and Attorney General and Minister of Justice-designate Dr Dominic Akuritinga Ayine.

Afenyo-Markin, the ranking member of the Appointment Committee, was either heckling the chairman of the committee or having exchanges with the members of the Majority Caucus on the committee all day.

Below are some of the incidents that transpired during the vetting:

Afenyo-Markin vs Ahiafor:

The Chairman of the Appointment Committee Bernard Ahiafor was at the receiving end of Afenyo-Markin's ‘tantrums’ the most.

The two men engaged in heated exchanges during the vetting of all three ministerial appointment nominees.

The first exchange was during Ato Forson's vetting, where Ahiafor told Afenyo-Markin that he can not be intimidated after an outburst by the latter.

The chair of the committee told Minority Leader Afenyo-Markin to conclude his opening statement which infuriated him (Afenyo-Markin).

Afenyo-Markin flared at Ahiafor saying, “I have been on this Appointment Committee when the then Minority Leader spent 20 minutes presenting his opening remarks... If you don’t want me to speak, let me know. Don’t start using the words ‘you may conclude’. With the greatest respect, these interjections must stop.”

During the vetting of Dr Dominic Ayine, the two men clashed again.

The chairman expressed concern about the prolonged questioning by the Ranking Member, Afenyo-Markin. With the clock nearing 9pm and many members visibly fatigued, the chairman intervened, asking, "Do you have a long way to go, Honourable Leader?"

Afenyo-Markin did not take kindly to this interjection, voicing his disapproval: "Chairman, kindly stop this act. Chairman, kindly stop this act."

In response, the chairman explained, "I am only asking because you seem to be taking the whole day. Honourable members, I think there should be a ceiling on the number of questions leadership is allowed to ask so that we stay focused and efficient. At our next meeting, we need to decide on the number of questions leaders can ask."

Afenyo-Markin countered, "We should allow a free flow of proceedings, okay? I beg of you, chairman. Let me proceed."

Ayariga:

The Member of Parliament (MP) for Bawku Central, Mahama Ayariga, also clashed with Afenyo-Markin during the vetting of Dr Cassiel Ato Forson on Monday.

Afenyo-Markin criticised President John Dramani Mahama for supposedly failing to follow the required process in his first ministerial appointment nominations as outlined in the standing orders of the Parliament.

“Let me address a few concerns of the Minority caucus on the notification of Parliament of the nominees. Before we openly examine the individuals and their merit, we must address a procedural misstep that casts a shadow on the integrity of this process. As you may recall, the Secretary to the President purported to have been given the mandate by the president to sign a letter to us,” he stressed.

The lawmaker referenced the parliamentary standing orders, which state that in the absence of President Mahama, a communication sent to the House must bear the signature of the Vice President or a minister authorised by the president.

Reacting to this, Mahama Ayariga told Afenyo-Markin that he was in no position to direct President John Dramani Mahama on how to appoint his ministers. He added that the Minority Leader could have his opinion but was expressing it at the wrong forum.

“For the Minority Leader to use this platform as a press conference to copiously try to denigrate the presidency and to sort of try to direct the presidency as to what to do, I think is not the best. For instance, you cannot be directing the president as to how and when he makes his nominations for ministerial appointments.

“The president did say that cabinet will be formed within a short period upon coming into office. But you have decided that it should have been from the date of the declaration of results. I mean, that is not the promise that was made by the president. You can have your opinion on the matter, but please, you can express it outside at the press conference,” he said.

He also pointed out that the rules of the House are not always correct, as evidenced by recent Supreme Court judgements that nullified some of these rules.

Afenyo-Markin, however, refuted the assertion that he was trying to undermine the presidency, adding that he had every right to make the comments he passed.





Another clash ensued between Afenyo-Markin and the Deputy Majority Leader during the vetting of Dr Ato Forson.

Afenyo-Markin refused to obey an order from the chairman to allow the Deputy Majority Leader, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, to take his turn during the questioning of Dr Ato Forson. The chairman of the committee had reprimanded the Member of Parliament for Tano North, Dr Gideon Boako, for insisting on speaking while he (Ahiafor) was giving Armah-Kofi Buah the opportunity to speak.

“Honourable Dr Gideon Boako, you are not even a member of the committee, so why are you raising your hand? It appears I'm overindulging you. Honourable Buah, you may proceed,” Ahiafor said.

His tone displeased the Minority Leader, Afenyo-Markin, who sought to have the issue addressed. Afenyo-Markin persistently called the chairman's attention, even though the Deputy Majority Leader had been given the floor to speak.

This infuriated Armah-Kofi Buah, who exclaimed, “But the chairman has recognised me unless he changes his mind.” Despite this, Afenyo-Markin continued to call the chairman's attention.

The chairman replied, “Honourable Minority Leader, I recognise Honourable Buah.” However, the Minority Leader persisted, saying, “Chairman, I'm in for a point of order. Chairman, point of order. Chairman, let's deal with this first. Chairman, let's deal with this.”

Armah-Kofi Buah interjected, saying, “Honourable Afenyo-Markin, respect the chair. Please, respect the chair.” But this did not deter Afenyo-Markin, as both men continued speaking concurrently.

Ultimately, Armah-Kofi Buah and Bernard Ahiafor relented and allowed Afenyo-Markin to make his point. The Minority Leader then expressed his displeasure with the tone the chairman of the committee had been using to address members of his caucus.

“Chairman, with the greatest respect, let's deal with this. You consistently raise your voice at my colleagues. The way you address them does not align with what we have all agreed upon — to extend to each other the utmost respect.

“This is the fourth time I am humbly pleading with you and craving your indulgence. I understand that you may have a high-pitched voice. However, I will plead with you. The way you came across as shouting at him — it happened to Hon Abena Osei Asare, you did it to Hon Sammi Awuku, and it's happening again. I'm only pleading with you that, in all humility, please, perhaps you did not intend it. If you feel that any of my colleagues is doing something unacceptable, we can work together,” he said.



Afenyo-Markin’s walkout:

The Minority Leader capped his ‘performance’ for the day with a walkout during the vetting of Attorney General-designate Dr Dominic Ayine.

The walkout was triggered by a question from MP for Suame, John Darko regarding a potential conflict of interest involving Dr Ayine’s law firm.

Bernard Ahiafor intervened in the matter by stating Dr Ayine had already addressed the issue, but Darko insisted on revisiting it. The concerns of the Suame MP were ruled out of order, sparking a heated exchange.

Darko accused the chairman of being unfair and biased against NPP members, a claim supported by Afenyo-Markin.

“Chairman, with the greatest of respect, I have observed consistently the way you go at my members, especially the young ones, the new ones, it’s not the right way. I’ve been quiet watching, and I will just be pinching you ‘Mr chairman. Please take it easy. Take it easy’ but the way it is going, it is not too right,” the Minority Leader said.

Tensions escalated when the Chairman refused to reverse his decision on the matter. In protest, Afenyo-Markin walked out of the session, followed by some other NPP committee members.

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