Minority Walks Out of Appointments Committee

The three nominees are Court of Appeal Justices Sophia Rosetta Obuokuwa Bernasko Essah and Edward Amoako Asante, as well as private legal practitioner Anthony Forson Jnr, a former President of the Ghana Bar Association.

Mr Afenyo-Markin made it clear that the Minority was not challenging President John Dramani Mahama’s constitutional authority to nominate persons to the Supreme Court.

Instead, he said the concern was about the timing and pace of the vetting process.

According to him, the Supreme Court currently has its full complement of justices, and therefore, in his view, there was no need to rush the nominations.

He also argued that Ghanaians should be given enough time to learn about the nominees and raise any concerns they may have before Parliament proceeds with the vetting.

“We say no, because the people of Ghana must participate,” he said.

The Minority Leader also pushed back against claims that the objection was politically motivated, insisting that the caucus was acting in the broader interest of the public.

“Our stance is not a partisan stance. It is a stance for the people of Ghana,” he said.

The disagreement led to the Minority’s withdrawal from the committee, effectively disrupting the scheduled vetting of the Supreme Court nominees.

The Minority is calling for the exercise to be postponed to allow for further scrutiny.

The Majority, however, has maintained the timetable for considering the nominations as Parliament continues its five-day emergency sitting, which began on Monday, August 24, and is expected to end on Friday, August 28.

Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin previously explained that the emergency recall was intended to enable Parliament to deal with urgent government business, including the consideration of the Supreme Court nominees.

The Minority has indicated that it remains prepared to participate in the vetting of two ministerial nominees before the committee. However, it wants the Supreme Court nominations treated separately and given more time for public and parliamentary scrutiny.

Source: Omanghana