The minority in parliament has walked out of the vetting of Chief Justice nominee Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie.
According to Alexander Afenyo-Markin, the minority leader, the nomination of Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie is illegitimate due to the unresolved legal challenges.
Afenyo-Markin, before exiting the chamber, declared, “…Chairman, members of the committee, and the country, we, the Minority Caucus, hereby vote emprem to reject the nominee. We would like to state on record that the Majority may proceed with the questions.
We do not intend to participate. However, we are registering in the strongest terms that we reject the nomination, and the records should reflect that the report of this committee be a Majority report,” he said.
He added, “We don’t need to vet a nominee before voting against them. We have preliminary issues well-grounded in law, and on that basis, we cannot be part of a process that may deem one right and deny another of her bona fide rights as enshrined in the Constitution. Chairman, that said, we will yield to you to proceed while we exit this Committee room with our views well documented for the record…”
The minority boycott follows an earlier clash between Alexander Afenyo-Markinand the Majority Leader, Mahama Ayariga, have clashed in a heated debate during the vetting of Justice Baffoe-Bonnie as Chief Justice.
The heated exchange stemmed from Afenyo-Markin’s opening remarks, in which he described the Justice Baffoe-Bonnie nomination by President Mahama as a “disputed nominee”.
Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga objected to Afenyo-Markin’s description, arguing that the vetting session was not a courtroom proceeding.
Mahama Ayariga then demanded that the Minority Leader retract the statement and issue an apology.
However, Afenyo-Markin accused the Majority Leader of acting in bad faith and attempting to stifle the Minority’s influence with their numbers.
According to Afenyo-Markin, the Minority had every right to express its reservations about the nomination.
“Chairman, the Majority Leader is clearly acting in bad faith, seeking to obstruct the peaceful process we have started and, as it were, use his numbers to intimidate,” Afenyo-Markin stated during the session.
“The matters giving rise to this nomination are purely political, and every Ghanaian adult knows this. Instead of becoming a moment of national pride and institutional renewal, this vetting has turned into a test of whether the judiciary will remain independent or fall under executive and political control”, he added.
Meanwhile, the majority has proceeded with the vetting of Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie today, Monday, November 10, 2025, despite the minority boycotts.
Also, Alexander Afenyo-Markin had earlier confirmed that the minority in parliament will be part of the much-anticipated parliamentary vetting of President John Dramani Mahama’s Chief Justice nominee, Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie.
According to Afenyo-Markin, all their cards are on the table, and they are not going to boycott Baffoe Bonnie vetting.
Speaking in an interview on JoyNews, Afenyo-Markin stated, “All our cards are on the table. Boycotting is out. Anybody who is expecting us to boycott, I say here and now, we will never boycott it. We will do what is right. All our cards are on the table. We’ll get there”.
He confirmed the minority’s commitment to their legislative duties under Article 144(1) of the Constitution.
Mr Afenyo-Markin, however, insisted, “He [Baffoe-Bonnie] himself must know that there is a Chief Justice. He himself must know. Yes, he knows he’s acting, and he knows that there’s a substantive Chief Justice”.
“The woman has a case before you challenging the processes. You’ve refused to empanel the court. You know that you are to empanel. If you want to rule, empanel the court, determine the matter and then bring a finality, then we can talk”, he challenged.