The Member of Parliament of Tano South, Charles Asiedu, has accused the Minority in Parliament of instigating the chaos that erupted during the recent vetting of some ministerial nominees.
Appearing before the ad hoc committee investigating the incident on Monday, February 10, 2025, Asiedu detailed the sequence of events that led to the disruption.
According to him, he was closely observing the Minority’s actions when he saw the Minority Whip, Frank Annoh-Dompreh, speaking to Jerry Ahmed, the MP of Weija Gbawe.
However, he said he could not make out what was said due to the noise in the room.
“Jerry, the Weija Gbawe MP, actually, because of the nature of the room and the noise, I didn’t hear precisely what was said to him. So, the honorable member came behind the cameras to Mintah Akandoh was seated. So, I was like, what’s happening? Because it wasn’t his position,” he stated.
Curious about the movement, Asiedu said he rushed to the scene to understand why Jerry had moved to that position.
“So, I quickly rushed to see what he was up to or what has brought him to that position. When I got to the position of Akandoh… within some few minutes, Jerry left his original position. And again, ‘I heard ‘montuntu cables no’,” he stated.
He added that he saw the MP of Pru West attempting to push the table back into place, along with other parliamentary equipment, including microphones and consoles.
“And I saw the Honorable Member of Pru West, Emmanuel Kofi Ntekuni, trying to push the table back with the consoles and the mic and others. And he was alone, and there were about four pushing it, and he (Emmanuel) trying to push it back. So, I realised I needed to support the tables, the consoles and the mics from being destroyed. So, I left my position, got to the table, and supported him,” he added.
Despite their efforts, Asiedu stated that they were ultimately outnumbered.
“Unfortunately, they (the Minority) overpowered us, and they were able to,” he added.
At this point, the committee chair pressed him to clarify who “they” referred to.
During the vetting of Minister of Health-designate, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh; and Minister of Foreign Affairs-designate, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa; the Minority Caucus accused the Majority Caucus of violating an agreement to vet only four nominees for the day, leading to heated exchanges.
Tensions quickly escalated into physical confrontations, resulting in the destruction of microphones and furniture, as well as the overturning of a vetting table.
In response to the chaos, Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, suspended four Members of Parliament for two weeks.
The suspended MPs were Frank Annoh-Dompreh (NPP, Nsawam-Adoagyiri), Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor (NDC, South Dayi), Alhassan Tampuli (NPP, Gushegu), and Jerry Ahmed Shaib (NPP, Weija-Gbawe).
However, after a plea by the Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, seconded by Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga, the Speaker lifted the suspension on the four MPs.
A seven-member parliamentary committee, chaired by Ho West MP, Emmanuel Kwasi Bedzrah, commenced public hearings on February 5, 2025, at Parliament, to investigate the misconduct of the MPs during the vetting session conducted by the Appointments Committee.
The committee is expected to bring transparency to the events that unfolded during the vetting process.
JKB/AE
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