Bernard Ahiafor, the Chairman of the Appointments Committee of Parliament, has provided reasons for the shortened vetting of the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Linda Ocloo.

According to him, after asking the then-nominee to introduce herself, he asked his committee members for questions, but all of them declined to ask any.

He explained that he believes the presence of chiefs and three former Greater Accra Regional Ministers, Henry Quartey, Titus Glover, and Nii Laryea Afotey Agbo, influenced the vetting process.

In an interview on February 3, 2025, Bernard Ahiafor stated, “For this caliber of people to follow the nominee means that, more or less, the chiefs behind her are an indication that she is welcome by both sides of the House.”

“What I can say influenced the vetting was maybe the presence of honourable Henry Quartey, being a member of the minority, and Titus Glover, former deputy minister, and during the NDC time, former Greater Accra Regional Minister, Nii Laryea Afotey Agbo,” Ahiafor added.

Ocloo’s vetting, which lasted less than 10 minutes, raised eyebrows as committee members posed no questions, an unusual occurrence in the parliamentary vetting process.

The brief and unchallenged nature of her approval sparked public debate and speculation over the rationale behind such leniency.

Meanwhile, Minority Leader and Ranking Member of Parliament’s Appointments Committee, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, revealed that government representatives personally appealed to the Minority to refrain from questioning Greater Accra Regional Minister-nominee, Linda Akweley Ocloo, during her vetting.

“They came begging that the woman could not stand the scrutiny. So, we just let her go… They said she is a widow and that she could not stand the heat,” he disclosed in an interview on GTV on February 3, 2025.

AM/KA

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