The Minority Caucus in Parliament has called for the immediate removal of the Appointments Committee clerk, citing what they consider to be her unprofessional approach in executing her duties.

Addressing the press on Monday, February 3, 2025, the leader of the caucus, Alexander Kwamina Afenyo-Markin, expressed his strong displeasure with the clerk’s conduct, accusing her of being partisan and working in favor of their opponents, the Majority caucus.

He disclosed that an official report has been lodged with the Clerk of Parliament, hoping for her removal from the committee.

“We have reported it to the clerk and we hope that the clerk, after engagement, will come back to us. But for now, we don’t want the clerk on the Appointments Committee again. We are calling on the clerk of parliament to remove her from the Appointments Committee unless she is ready to turn a new leaf and be a professional to engage us,” he said.

Afenyo-Markin explained that, according to the expected work ethics, the clerk is supposed to inform and share details of the nominees with their side ahead of the vetting, however, she failed to do so rather engaging in advertising on her status at midnight.

“The clerk to the committee is a partisan clerk and not a neutral professional clerk. She has caused us a lot of discomfort but we still tolerated and accommodated her. At this point, it is getting out of hand. She advertises at midnight. As the Minority Leader, I am to know those who will be vetted ahead of time but she doesn’t share that information with us,” he said.

Afenyo-Markin further noted that the clerk's conduct now, with the NDC as the Majority, contrasts her behavior when the NPP was the Majority.

He added that she has failed to submit committee reports to his caucus for their input, despite having previously insisted on receiving the NDC Minority's input when his side, then the Majority, tried conducting business without it.

“A lot of times, I have to manage the pain and frustration of my members and taken responsibility. So far, I have accommodated this, all the committee reports we have been debating, not a single one of them was brought to me to have a look. The essence of the report is for us to have all our input in, and this lady, who we so much respect, will do none of that. She was the same person who was the clerk when we were in government, who insisted on getting the Minority’s input.”

He continued, “We will not allow ourselves to be taken for granted because a clerk to committee must be professional, and neutral and cannot be an armchair committee clerk and claim to be sending people when she knows that whenever a report is ready, she must personally hand it over to both leaders to have a look.”

This is not the first time the Minority Leader has launched a scathing attack on the clerk.

On January 31, 2025, Afenyo-Markin accused the clerk of exhibiting bias and taking actions that appeared to favor the Majority side, the National Democratic Congress.



MAG/AE

Meanwhile, watch as Afenyo-Markin explains how he became rich