You can’t turn vetting into a press conference — Ayariga scolds Afenyo-Markin

A heated exchange erupted in Parliament on Monday when Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga sharply rebuked Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin for questioning the legality of the ongoing vetting of Chief Justice nominee, Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie.

Tensions flared during the Appointments Committee sitting as Afenyo-Markin raised concerns about what he described as unresolved legal proceedings surrounding the removal of the previous Chief Justice.

“Chairman, seven separate proceedings across three jurisdictions — our Supreme Court, the High Court, and the ECOWAS Court of Justice — none challenged the constitutional validity of that removal,” he said. “Not one has been heard on its merits. Not one has been terminated. Yet, while these cases remain pending, there is a nomination to replace…” he added before being interrupted by Mr. Ayariga.

Mr. Ayariga, visibly irritated, cited parliamentary standing orders prohibiting discussion of matters before the courts.

“Mr. Speaker, our rules are very clear on pending matters,” he said, quoting Order 103F. “A motion shall relate to definite issues and not be the subject of an action on which a judicial decision is pending in such a way as may prejudice the interests of the parties.”

He stressed that the same rule guiding proceedings in the chamber applies equally to committees. “What you can’t do in the chamber, you can’t do in a committee. Pending matters, we should stay away from them. The conduct of judges, we should stay away from them,” Ayariga maintained.

The Majority Leader then took direct aim at Afenyo-Markin’s conduct, accusing him of abusing the committee platform.

“Show me in our Standing Orders anything that says you have a right to make preliminary statements — you don’t,” Ayariga said. “We developed it as a practice where leaders make welcoming remarks, but you’ve turned it into a press conference to attack people and walk away. Today, that will not be allowed.”

The clash stalled the vetting session, drawing murmurs across the committee room.

In an earlier development, the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) had questioned the integrity of Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie’s nomination as Chief Justice, warning that it violated the constitution and undermined public confidence in the judiciary.

In a statement signed by General Secretary Justin Kodua Frimpong, the party said the nomination “raises grave concerns about due process and judicial propriety” because the legality of former Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo’s removal was still being challenged in court.