The Minority Caucus in Parliament has opposed the vetting of three Supreme Court nominees, describing the exercise as unconstitutional and contrary to the Standing Orders of Parliament, resulting in a walkout by its members on the Appointments Committee yesterday.
The nominees are Justice Sophia Rosetta Oduokuwa Bernasko Essah, Justice Edward Amoako Asante and Mr Anthony Forson Jnr.
The walkout, led by the Minority Leader and Ranking Member of the Appointments Committee, Mr Alexander Afenyo-Markin, followed heated exchanges between him and the Chairperson of the Committee, Mr Bernard Ahiafor, over whether the vetting should proceed.
Before the exercise commenced, Mr Afenyo-Markin argued that the nominees' names ought to have been published to allow members of the public to submit memoranda before the vetting.
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He said public notices had traditionally been given at least two weeks before the vetting of nominees, insisting that proceeding within three emergency sitting days violated established parliamentary practice.
"This is the first time the NDC is using a super majority to vet Supreme Court nominees in just three days after announcement," he said.
Mr Afenyo-Markin also accused the Majority Caucus of abandoning a position it had taken while in opposition, when it resisted the vetting of Supreme Court nominees without adequate public notice.
He cited the 2024 nominations by former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, saying the then Minority, led by the current Majority leadership, had opposed the process and demanded adequate time for public participation.
"In 2024, President Akufo-Addo brought two nominees. My respected colleague who was the acting chair, there was an advert that was placed in the papers and they were given 10 days within which to appear," he said.
He said there was no urgency to vet the current nominees because the Supreme Court had not become vacant and suggested that the committee could vet them when Parliament reconvened in October.
Mr Ahiafor, however, rejected the objection, saying due process had been followed.
He explained that the Speaker had referred the three Supreme Court nominees, together with two ministerial nominees, to the Committee for consideration and report to the House following a request from President John Dramani Mahama.
According to him, the Minority had, at a Committee meeting on Wednesday, requested that only the two ministerial nominees be vetted, but the Committee rejected the proposal and resolved to proceed with the Supreme Court nominees.
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Mr Ahiafor further explained that Parliament had on Monday adopted the Business Statement and suspended Standing Order 217 under Standing Order 3 to enable the House to deal with the urgent business for which it had been recalled.
Standing Order 217 governs the establishment, composition and functions of the Appointments Committee, while Standing Order 3 allows Parliament to suspend a specific order or part of an order.
"I will not preside over this Committee and report to vary the orders or directions taken on the plenary. It is not done in any democracy and I will not be the first to introduce it [into] Ghana's democracy," Mr Ahiafor said.
He consequently dismissed Mr Afenyo-Markin's objection as "baseless and frivolous."
Mr Afenyo-Markin challenged the ruling, arguing that the Chairperson had no authority to dismiss a preliminary objection and called for a vote to resolve the matter.
The request was declined by Mr Ahiafor, prompting Mr Afenyo-Markin to accuse the Majority of failing to follow due procedure.
He subsequently led Minority members out of the committee room, forcing the vetting to continue without them.
