Majority Leader and Member of Parliament for Bawku Central, Mahama Ayariga, has revealed that he attempted to engage members of the Appointments Committee before violent disruptions marred the ministerial vetting on Thursday, January 30.
Despite his mediation efforts, tensions escalated, leading to the destruction of parliamentary property.
Appearing before Parliament’s Special Committee investigating the incident, Ayariga stated that he reached out to both Majority and Minority committee members in hopes of finding a middle ground. However, neither side was willing to compromise.
The controversy stemmed from the Majority caucus’s decision to proceed with the vetting session despite the Minority’s request to postpone it from Thursday to Friday, January 31.
The refusal to reschedule heightened frustrations, culminating in the vandalization of microphones and tables in protest.
Ayariga explained that the nominees had arrived early in the day with their families and traditional leaders and remained in Parliament until late evening.
Given the circumstances, he noted that it was impractical to ask them to leave and return the next day.
“I spoke to both sides and tried to convince them but each side was adamant and I think the pressure was coming from the fact that the nominees had on the record were slated for that day and they had come there with their families and traditional leaders and so members of the Majority side were having it difficult that what do we do with these people when they have sat here since morning and we tell them to go back and so that was the difficulty.
“The nominees were here with their families and their chiefs and to tell them to go and come back the next day was going to be a major inconvenience and not because they had the numbers.”
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