Kwame Agbodza, a member of the Appointments Committee of Parliament, went ballistic over allegations that the vice chairperson of the committee, Patricia Appiagyei’s verdict on the motion by the Member of Parliament for Bawku Central, Mahama Ayariga, over the constitutionality of President Nana Addo Dankwa’s latest Supreme Court appointees was plagiarized.

Mahama Ayariga had motioned against the vetting of Sophia Rosetta Oduokwu Bernasko Essah on the grounds that President Akufo-Addo lacked the authority to appoint more than nine Justices to the country’s apex court.

Ayariga premised his opposition on Article 128 (1) of the 1992 Constitution, which he claimed sets a limit on the number of Justices appointed by a particular president.

Subsequently, Patricia Appiagyei, who was chairing the committee on Tuesday, August 13, 2024, dismissed the motion, urging Ayariga to take matters up at the Supreme Court as the committee lacked jurisdiction over such cases.

Kwame Agbodza, who is the Member of Parliament for Adaklu constituency, was incensed that excerpts of the verdict by Patricia Appiagyei were allegedly from a social media post by a journalist.

Kwame Agbodza was furious that Patricia Appiagyei had, in his view, copied the opinion of the journalist and presented it as her verdict.

In his view, the alleged conduct of the vice chair of the Appointments Committee constitutes great disrespect to the committee and Parliament at large.

“I just noticed that the ruling you read was posted on the Facebook page of a known journalist an hour ago. It will be extremely damning if the ruling you’ve given did not come from you.

“I made a comment that within the short period that we left here, you were able to put together this very comprehensive ruling. This is unacceptable and scandalous. This is a serious committee of Parliament, and you read something which was supposed to come from you? I feel scandalized,” he said angrily.

Vetting of judges nominees: Appointment Committee Vice Chair accused of plagiarizing ruling from Facebook.#JoyNews pic.twitter.com/iyyAnFv48q

— JoyNews (@JoyNewsOnTV) August 13, 2024