The Minority members of Parliament’s Appointments Committee have rejected the nomination of Justice Srem-Sai as Deputy Minister for Justice and Attorney-General.
The decision was announced on February 26 by Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin, who stated that their caucus had taken note of how the nominee’s vetting session abruptly ended.
“We reject the nomination of the Deputy Minister of Justice and Attorney-General,” Mr Afenyo-Markin declared, adding that any decision to approve Srem-Sai’s appointment would be the sole responsibility of the Majority.
The controversy erupted during Srem-Sai’s vetting, which was cut short following a heated exchange between Afenyo-Markin and the Committee Chairman, Bernard Ahiafor.
At one point, Afenyo-Markin asked the nominee to demonstrate how an Akpi dance from the Volta Region is performed.
However, the Chairman overruled this request, leading to tensions between the two lawmakers.
Afenyo-Markin accused Ahiafor of acting “whimsically and capriciously”, a remark that Ahiafor strongly objected to.
He demanded a retraction, but Afenyo-Markin refused, prompting Ahiafor to call off the vetting session.
In response to the Minority’s decision to reject Srem-Sai, Ahiafor fired back, saying, “When you want to turn the vetting room into a dancing floor, that is what I will resist.”
He further warned Afenyo-Markin that he was lucky not to have been cited for contempt.
The standoff between the Minority and Majority raises further tensions over Srem-Sai’s nomination, with his fate now resting on the Majority side of the committee.