A session of the Appointments Committee of Parliament descended into chaos late on Thursday as tensions between minority and majority members flared over the vetting of Kwabena Mintah Akandoh and Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa.
The disagreement began after 10 pm after the vetting of the nominee for transport, Joseph Bukari Nikpe.
The Minority proposed postponing the vetting to Friday, citing concerns about the day’s proceedings.
However, the majority rejected the proposal, insisting the process should continue, as they accused the ranking member, Alexander Afenyo Markin, of spending more time on nominees, hence the delay.
Afenyo Markin, on his part, insisted that he has to ask his questions in line with the practice of the committee, where the ranking member has an unlimited number of questions.
The dispute quickly escalated, and some tables as well as microphones were destroyed amid a tussle between some MPs.
Security personnel were called in to manage the growing tension in the conference room.
As both sides refused to compromise, the committee’s work grounded to a halt, bringing proceedings to a standstill.

As tensions subsided after about 30 minutes, Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga announced that the damaged microphones made it difficult to continue the vetting process.
He said the rescheduled vetting would take place in the Speaker’s Conference Room, a smaller venue that might not have enough capacity to accommodate members of the public.

On his part, the Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo Markin, defended his side’s stance, stressing that nothing would prevent them from asking the “necessary questions” during the vetting process.
He went further to accuse the majority side of attempting to intimidate and bully the minority.
The Minority Leader also accused the Clerk of the Appointments Committee of being partisan, alleging that she is working in favour of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).