Chairman of the Appointments Committee of Parliament, Bernard Ahiafor has disclosed that the presence of Chiefs, former Greater Accra Regional Ministers influenced Greater Accra Regional Minister, Linda Ocloo’s short vetting.
Ocloo’s vetting, which lasted less than 10 minutes, raised eyebrows as no questions were posed by committee members—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.
However, in an exclusive interview with TV3’s Alfred Ocansey on Monday, Bernard Ahiafor revealed that the presence of some former Greater Accra Regional Ministers and chiefs influenced the vetting process.
He explained that “for this calibre of people to follow the nominee means that more or less, the chiefs behind her more or less is an indication of the fact that she is welcome by both sides of the House.”
“Who in the majority has approached him? What I can say influenced 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.
Gov’t begged us not to vet Linda Ocloo – Afenyo-Markin reveals
Meanwhile, Minority Leader and Ranking Member of Parliament’s Appointments Committee, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has revealed that government representatives personally appealed to the Minority to refrain from questioning Greater Accra Regional Minister-nominee, Linda Akweley Ocloo, during her vetting.
Speaking in an interview with the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) on Monday, February 3, Afenyo-Markin explained that the Minority’s silence was a direct response to a plea from government officials.
“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.
According to him, government officials cited Ocloo’s personal circumstances, specifically her widowhood, as a reason for the request, expressing concerns about her ability to handle the pressure of rigorous questioning.
