Kofi Adams, the Minister of Sports and Recreation
Kofi Adams, the Minister of Sports and Recreation, has delivered a brutal assessment of the Appointments Committee of Parliament, asserting that the actions of the committee and its members are inconsistent with established parliamentary procedures.
Speaking as a panellist on Metro TV’s Good Morning Ghana program, Kofi Adams noted that the current Appointments Committee has dropped the level of importance and seriousness attached to the vetting process and in doing so, created discomfort for some people, particularly the ministerial nominees.
He likened the conduct of the members to that of a meeting in a village, describing their actions so far as ‘lazy’ and unbefitting of one of Parliament’s most prominent committees.
Speaking on the chaos that rocked the house on Thursday, January 30, 2025, Kofi Adams opined that if the narrative by the Minority caucus is to be accepted as the true account of events, then the committee has been ‘lazy’ in the discharge of their duties.
“The Appointments Committee has done a poor job by scheduling something they know they cannot follow. They will hold their own meeting and plan something without communicating with persons they have already invited. That’s a very lazy way of doing things.
“If that’s what they said, then I would not be charitable with it. Parliament is an organized institution and we don’t behave that way. We are not running some village-setting meetings.
“We are running a serious business, so you don’t schedule nominees to appear before you and then hold another meeting without communicating the changes to the persons, and when they appear there, you describe them as being smuggled. This Appointments Committee have done a lot of harm to people,” he said.
Background:
There was a clash between the Minority and Majority caucuses during the recent vettings, resulting in property damage within the parliamentary chamber. The conflict arose when the Majority sought to extend the vetting session beyond 10 PM, a move the Minority opposed, insisting that the day’s proceedings should conclude as scheduled.
This disagreement escalated, with members from both sides engaging in verbal exchanges that devolved into physical confrontations. Reports indicate that tables were overturned, and microphones were damaged during the melee.
In response to the chaos, Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin took decisive action by suspending four Members of Parliament implicated in the disturbances. The suspended MPs include Mr. Rockson Nelson-Dafeamekpor, Majority Chief Whip Frank Annoh-Dompreh, Minority Chief Whip Jerry Shaibu, and Alhassan Sulemana Tampuli.
The suspension has so far been reversed with a committee established to probe into the issue.
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