The Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has defended the Minority’s decision to stage a protest during the vetting of Okudzeto Ablakwa and Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, citing a lack of room for dialogue.
The vetting session on Thursday, January 30, 2025, was marred by a clash between Minority and Majority MPs, leading to heightened tensions.
The situation escalated further when the Speaker of Parliament announced the suspension of three NPP MPs and one NDC MP over disagreements regarding whether the vetting should continue on January 31.
Following the suspensions, the Minority staged a walkout, leaving the Majority to proceed with the vetting of Ablakwa and other nominees. This occurred after Afenyo-Markin had already subjected Ablakwa to extensive questioning for several hours.
Addressing Parliament on February 4, 2025, Afenyo-Markin provided context to the events, saying, “”On Thursday, January 30, as per the practice, we had agreed to proceed to vet some four nominees. Originally, we were supposed to do three, but this changed to five.
“Around 10:pm, we had indications from the majority of the intent to continue the vetting of more nominees rather than agreed.
“There was no room for us to discuss the way forward, which resulted in our decision as the minority to protest. Our intention was to have a peaceful protest to express our displeasure at the excesses of our colleagues in the majority.”
He acknowledged that the situation got out of hand during the protest, assuring to work with the speaker to uphold the dignity and integrity of the House,
The Speaker Alban Bagbin lifted the ban on the four MPs after both the majority leader and minority leader appealed to him.
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