Tensions flared between the Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, and the Majority Leader, Mahama Ayariga, during the vetting of Chief Justice nominee Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie on Monday, November 10.
The dispute erupted when Mr. Ayariga challenged Mr. Afenyo-Markin’s attempt to make his opening remarks, insisting that the matter had already been addressed in Parliament through a motion he had filed.
Earlier, Mr. Afenyo-Markin had referred to Justice Baffoe-Bonnie as a “disputed Chief Justice nominee,” a description that drew immediate objection from the Majority Leader.
Mr. Ayariga argued that the vetting session was not a courtroom proceeding and demanded that the Minority Leader retract the statement and issue an apology.
In turn, Mr. Afenyo-Markin accused the Majority Leader of acting in bad faith and attempting to stifle the Minority’s right to freely express their views during the process.
He also criticised the circumstances surrounding the removal of former Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, describing them as opaque—a point that further drew Mr. Ayariga’s objection.
The confrontation highlighted the heightened political sensitivities surrounding the vetting of the acting Chief Justice and underscored the deep partisan divisions in Parliament over the process.
