The Minority Caucus in Parliament on Thursday walked out of the Appointments Committee’s proceedings over the vetting of three nominees for appointment to the Supreme Court, escalating a standoff over the timetable for considering the nominations.
The walkout followed a prolonged objection by Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, who argued that the process was being rushed without sufficient time for parliamentary scrutiny and public participation.
The three nominees are Justice Sophia Rosetta Obuokuwa Bernasko Essah, Justice Edward Amoako Asante and private legal practitioner Anthony Forson Jnr.
Mr Afenyo-Markin maintained that the Minority was not opposed to the nominees or President John Dramani Mahama’s constitutional authority to nominate persons for appointment to the apex court.
Rather, he said, the objection centred on the decision to complete the process within the remaining days of Parliament’s emergency recall.
The Minority argued that the Supreme Court was functioning with its full complement of justices and that there was, therefore, no vacancy requiring an urgent appointment.
‘No vacancy, no urgency’
Mr Afenyo-Markin had earlier told the committee that the Minority was formally objecting to the timetable, insisting that the nominations should be considered through the established parliamentary process.
He argued that the nominees were not being appointed to fill an existing vacancy and questioned the justification for compressing the process into a few days.
The Minority also cited the need to give members of the public adequate opportunity to submit their views on the nominees before the committee proceeded with its work.
“We say no, because the people of Ghana must participate,” Mr Afenyo-Markin said in outlining the Minority’s position.
He stressed that the caucus’ stance was not partisan but was intended to protect what it considered to be the public interest.
“Our stance is not a partisan stance. It is a stance for the people of Ghana,” he said.
Process stalls
The disagreement effectively stalled the vetting of the three Supreme Court nominees as the Minority insisted that the exercise should be deferred.
The Majority, however, has maintained the timetable for considering the nominations as part of Parliament’s five-day emergency recall, which began on Monday, August 24, 2026, and ends on Friday, August 28.
The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, had explained that the recall was to enable the House to deal with urgent government business, including the consideration of the three Supreme Court nominees.
The Minority has indicated that it is prepared to cooperate with the Majority on the vetting of two ministerial nominees referred to Parliament but wants the Supreme Court nominations deferred to allow for fuller scrutiny.
The three nominees are Justice Bernasko Essah and Justice Amoako Asante, both Justices of the Court of Appeal, and Mr Forson, a former President of the Ghana Bar Association.
The walkout now puts the spotlight on Parliament’s handling of judicial appointments and raises questions about whether the three nominations can be processed before the current emergency sitting ends.
