“Since 1993, ranking members have always been given an unlimited opportunity. Why is it that when it gets to Afenyo-Markin the NDC would want to frustrate the process?” Alexander Afenyo-Markin, the Co-Chair of the Appointments Committee of Parliament, in charge of the ongoing ministerial vetting, has asked.

He spoke to the media, Friday, January 31, 2025.

The Effutu MP clarified he was not delaying the process by unending questioning.

“It’s not every nominee I question,” he said, citing: “This morning the nominee for ministry of health, we spent only 30 minutes.”

Yesterday, during the Communications Minister-designate Samuel Nartey George, Afenyo-Markin’s questions were curtailed after it was observed he spent about three hours grilling the nominee.

He intimated his questioning style was in reaction to the respective postures of nominees, and not an agenda to be superfluous, misuse time, and frustrate a smooth vetting process.

“So the nominees themselves should know that they are now coming into public office, their conduct, their humility, their candour would help matters. If you have a nominee who is so arrogant, so partisan, so disrespectful, so deceptive, so dishonest, you don’t expect us to spend five minutes. Those how come and prepare well, and know their brief, and show us respect, we also reciprocate. Not those who come and be insulting, and abusing the chief justice of the republic, the former president of the land, and you expect us to clap for them and take tea with them. We will not,” he strongly stated.

The lawmaker and lawyer issued a “caution” to the Chairman of the Appointments Committee, Bernard Ahiafor, “not to yield to those extremists who are pushing him to assert his authority because he is weak. The chair of the committee should know that we respect him”.

He commended the Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga because “he has shown leadership.

“His diplomacy is at its all-time best. He’s done well. His engagement, the transparency he has introduced. Should it continue, we’d have a very peaceful parliament. How he engages us is the way to go in this parliament.”

Mahama Ayariga was instrumental in restoring order to the committee room when chaos erupted over a disagreement on the number of nominees to vet last night after 10.

Afenyo-Markin sent a strong warning to the Majority Chief Whip Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, saying if he continued on the path of “being a bully, he'll meet his meeter”.

He decried Dafeamekpor's “shouting, yelling” and “undermining of his own chairman, interrupting proceedings, underlining his own majority leader,” noting “the Majority Chief Whip's role is to be a key negotiator and diplomat in the chamber.

“His job is not to fight. If he did so successfully in opposition, now he is in government. So President Mahama and his government may have to rethink their choice of Rockson Etse Dafeamekpor as their Majority Chief Whip.”