….Ahead of Mintah Akandoh and Okudzeto Ablakwa’s appearances
Tensions flared last night during yesterday’s session of the Appointments Committee hearing, as members of the Minority and Majority Caucuses clashed over the vetting of Kwabena Mintah Akandoh and Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa.
The disagreement erupted when the Minority proposed rescheduling the vetting to today, Friday, January 31, 2025, citing concerns over the day’s loaded proceedings.
However, Majority members rejected this suggestion, insisting that the vetting should continue as scheduled.
The disagreement escalated into chaos, with Minority members disrupting the session by breaking tables and microphones in an effort to prevent any delay, because insiders said they wanted to have more time to grill, especially Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the Member of Parliament (MP) for the North Tongue in the Volta Region.
Okudzeto Ablakwa, has been the chairman of President John Mahama’s Operation Recover All Loots (ORAL) team.
He has also been behind several scandals that occurred under the Akufo-Addo government, including the purchase of ambulances for the Ghana National Ambulance Services.
Okudzeto Ablakwa, has raised concerns about a purported visa processing scandal involving Ghana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration.
Despite the disruptive stance of the Minority, the Majority stood firm, arguing that the committee was following its established schedule and that the vetting should proceed without interruption.
The situation prompted a heightened security presence in the conference room as tensions mounted as the Minority insisted that no further nominees should be vetted, pointing out that an agreement had been made to vet just four nominees and adjourn for the day.
The Majority, insisted on proceeding with the vetting session beyond 10 PM, but the Minority, strongly opposed the move, declaring that they were done for the day.
As the clash between the two factions continued, the committee’s work came to a standstill, with both sides refusing to back down from their positions.
Things descended into chaos between members of the Minority and Majority, leading to a heated confrontation.
The clash escalated to the point, where tables and microphones were destroyed, prompting the intervention of the police to restore order and prevent further destruction.
Members of the Minority, started to lose the arranged tables and in the process, most of the microphones fell off and got broken.
After about 30 minutes of confusion, Majority Leader, Mahama Ayariga and other leaders, stepped in and calmed tempers.
He announced that with the tables broken and microphones destroyed, sitting can’t continue, forcing the Committee to reschedule today at the Speaker’s Conference Room.
Mr Ayariga, apologised for the unfortunate incident and promised the MPs would be of good behaviour when sitting resumes tomorrow.
Speaking after the disruptions, Afenyo-Markin, defended the Minority’s stance, insisting that nothing would stop them from asking the “necessary questions” during the vetting process.
“You are aware that some of the nominees, we don’t even ask them questions. Where we have to ask the relevant questions, we ask. Nothing will stop us from asking the necessary questions,” he said.
He accused the Majority of attempting to intimidate the Minority, stating, “NDC is always out to intimidate people. Always bullying. They can call us a micro-minority. They can say whatever they want to say. We’ve been cooperating with them.”
According to Mr Afenyo-Markin, an agreement had been reached to vet three nominees, but the Minority, later attempted to push for additional nominees without proper consensus.
“Today, we agreed to do three. The committee is on a partisan track. Indeed, she is a typical NDC. She agrees with them and then informs people to come,” he said, without naming names.
Okudzeto Ablakwa, emerged as a vocal critic of the Akufo-Addo government and its appointees in 2023.
Ablakwa published detailed information on various alleged irregularities within the administration.
Ablakwa, in some cases, petitioned Parliament and other statutory bodies like CHRAJ to look into the issues, while going to court to defend himself against legal suits that came up in some cases.
One of the legal battles, involves Rev. Kusi Boateng, a board of trustee member of the National Cathedral and the Founder of Power Chapel Worldwide, dragging Ablakwa to court, in which Ablakwa prevailed.
One key area of Ablakwa’s revelations was with the National Cathedral of Ghana project. He accused the project secretariat of criminal undertakings involving identity theft and financial mismanagement.
Ablakwa, also published documents suggesting that the original value of the Bank of Ghana’s new offices was a little over US$81M, but was likely to exceed the US$250M tag given by the Minority in Parliament.
The North Tongu lawmaker, also alleged that communications minister, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, awarded a multi-million dollar contract without the necessary procurement approval.
In a July 6, 2023, post on his social media handles, the MP provided correspondence between himself and the Public Procurement Authority (PPA) to back his claims. The minister and ministry denied any wrongdoing.
Ablakwa, also claimed to have saved Ghana the payment of GH¢187 million in judgment debts through his publication on a transaction between the government and a private company, Blue Skye, which he codenamed as the ‘Kitchen Scandal’.
In a social media publication, Ablakwa alleged that Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, cousin of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, was seeking to enforce payment of GH¢187.3 million judgment debt to his client, West Blue, even though the current government has varied the contract.
Then there was the scandal codenamed, “Heaven Scandal” in which he raised alarm over the sale of prime lands around the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) to a private company under some shady circumstances.
In his exposé named the Heaven Scandal and published via his social media handles on Monday, October 2, 2023, the opposition MP, accused the President and the Minister for Finance of granting approval for the transaction led by the Ghana Airport Company Limited (GACL) in deal on the blindside of parliament.
“On the blind side of Parliament and the Ghanaian people, President Akufo-Addo and Finance Minister Ken Ofori Atta have granted approval for our prime airport lands to be handed over under the most shady of circumstances to a company known as Heaven Builders Limited,” he alleged.