POLITICS

Minority to boycott vetting of Chief Justice nominee

The Minority in Parliament has served notice to boycott the vetting of the Chief Justice nominee, Justice Kwasi Anin-Yeboah.

Justice Anin-Yeboah if approved by Parliament will succeed outgoing Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo who retires on December 20, 2019.

The Chairman of the Appointments Committee of Parliament and First Deputy Speaker of Parliament Joe Osei Owusu has proposed that the nominee be vetted before the 20th of December.

However, the National Democratic Congress(NDC) MPs on the Committee are accusing their colleagues on the Majority side of rushing the process to approve the nominee.

“Our position is that we don’t have to rush over the vetting of a Chief Justice because he’s going to be the head of the Judiciary. Yes, they said the current Chief Justice her tenure expires on 20th and we said they knew when she was going to retire three years ago when the President appointed her so the Presidency should have done what is necessary. Because we need to prepare, we need to read his judgments, we need to ask people about him. All these we believe is not in the interest of the Head of the Judiciary himself and Parliament to rush the process.

“Those of us in the Minority are saying that we are not going to be part of the vetting. It will mean that it will be a one-sided vetting.” Minority Chief Whip Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak told Joy News.

But the Chairman of the Appointment Committee Joe Osei Owusu in response expressed surprise at the decision of the Minority to stay away from the vetting.

According to him, there was a consensus reached on the date to vet the nominee, adding that for anyone to suggest the process is being rushed is extremely unfair to the committee.

“We had a meeting on Thursday evening we discussed when we can do the public hearing having regards to the time period for this meeting that is outstanding. We discussed various scenarios I proposed that we do it on Thursday so that on Saturday when Parliament has already programmed to adjourn we would have finished and presented a report for the plenary to consider it.”

“After a number of discussions, it is the Minority Leader who proposed that at least we should cover the whole one week of notice and do the public hearing on Saturday which is the 21st and extend sitting to the Monday after which will be the 23rd. It was at that point that we agreed and we all gave instructions to the Clerk to issue the notices. For the Chief Whip to suggest that we wish to rush the process is to suggest that we are breaching a rule. for anyone to suggest the process is being rushed is extremely unfair to the committee.”

 

Source: kasapafmonline.com

Ogyem Solomon

Solomon Ogyem – Media Entrepreneur | Journalist | Brand Ambassador Solomon Ogyem is a dynamic Ghanaian journalist and media entrepreneur currently based in South Africa. With a solid foundation in journalism, Solomon is a graduate of the OTEC School of Journalism and Communication Studies in Ghana and Oxbridge Academy in South Africa. He began his career as a reporter at OTEC 102.9 MHz in Kumasi, where he honed his skills in news reporting, community storytelling, and radio broadcasting. His passion for storytelling and dedication to the media industry led him to establish Press MltiMedia Company in South Africa—a growing platform committed to authentic African narratives and multimedia journalism. Solomon is the founder and owner of Thepressradio.com, a news portal focused on delivering credible, timely, and engaging stories across Ghana and Africa. He also owns Press Global Tickets, a service-driven venture in the travel and logistics space, providing reliable ticketing services. He previously owned two notable websites—Ghanaweb.mobi and ShowbizAfrica.net—both of which contributed to entertainment and socio-political discussions within Ghana’s digital space. With a diverse background in media, digital journalism, and business, Solomon Ogyem is dedicated to telling impactful African stories, empowering youth through media, and building cross-continental media partnerships.

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