Franklin Cudjoe, President of policy think tank, IMANI Africa
The President of policy think tank IMANI Africa, Franklin Cudjoe, has endorsed the decision of the Minority in Parliament to recuse themselves from the Appointments Committee.
According to him, the move was justified as the Speaker of Parliament had issued an order that needed to be followed to the letter.
Expressing his opinion in a social media post, Franklin Cudjoe stated, “I think the Minority did the right thing by recusing themselves from the vetting. They are respecting the Speaker’s directive that the Appointments Committee be reconstituted immediately following the suspension of four members. That is Hon. Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin’s mark of leadership I referred to.”
Background
A heated dispute arose between Ranking Member Alexander Afenyo-Markin and Committee Chairman Bernard Ahiafor over a directive issued by the Speaker of Parliament during the vetting of Foreign Affairs Minister-nominee Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa.
The disagreement raised questions about the validity of the committee’s quorum after the Speaker decided to reconstitute the committee, which had earlier been caught up in a chaotic session the previous night.
Afenyo-Markin expressed concerns that the Speaker’s decision could affect the legitimacy of the proceedings.
“The Speaker has issued a directive, and until there is clarity on its implications, we cannot proceed as though nothing has happened,” he argued, calling for the vetting session to be suspended until the matter was fully addressed.
However, Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga dismissed concerns about the quorum.
“This directive does not affect our quorum in any way,” Ayariga countered, reinforcing the NDC’s stance that the session could continue without disruption.
In response, Chairman Ahiafor sided with the NDC members, declaring that Minority MPs who felt uncomfortable with the directive were free to leave.
“If you have issues with the directive, you are at liberty to leave,” he remarked, implying that those unhappy with the changes had the option to recuse themselves.
This remark did not sit well with Afenyo-Markin, who immediately demanded a retraction.
“Mr. Chairman, withdraw that comment! If you don’t, the NPP caucus will recuse itself from this vetting process,” he insisted, making it clear that the NPP would not participate under such conditions.
Despite the demand, Ahiafor refused to back down, interpreting Afenyo-Markin’s response as a sign of his intention to step away from the session.
“If you say you are recusing yourself, I take it in good faith,” Ahiafor replied, standing firm in his position.