Ministerial Vetting Chaos: ‘Minority leader launched an unprovoked attack on the clerk; I had to protest as a woman’

Laadi Ayii Ayamba, the Member of Parliament for Pusiga, has recounted the unsettling events that unfolded during Thursday’s ministerial vetting on January 30, when the Minority leader and MP for Efutu, Alexander Afenyo Markin, launched an unprovoked attack on the committee clerk, Gifty Jiagge-Gobah.

Speaking before the investigative committee on Friday 7th February, she explained, “As soon as we began, the minority entered, and what I witnessed was a direct attack by the Minority Leader on the clerk, Gifty Jiagge-Gobah, without any provocation.

As a woman, I could not sit back and watch this happen. It made me uncomfortable, and it continued for some time before I felt the need to stand up, she said.

According to her, When the chairman instructed the clerk to administer the oath to the nominee something she had already done, observed that, due to the ongoing aggressive attack, the clerk was unable to proceed.

She immediately took it upon herself to encourage Gifty. “You are supposed to listen to the chairman, not anyone else, administer the oath, why are you sitting down?” she urged.

The situation escalated further when unsavoury remarks were directed at Gifty Jiagge-Gobah by some members of the minority.

They used unsavoury words, questioning her political affiliation and making personal attacks. Mrs Ayamba said she could not stand idly and allow this to continue.

At a point, Mrs. Ayamba turned to the Minority Leader, saying, “She is a dignified woman, and with that, she doesn’t have to be spoken to in that way. Please, can you stop? she pleaded and had to protest on her behalf” she said to the committee.

“I could not just sit there and allow this to happen,” Mrs Ayamba continued. “As a woman, I felt it was my responsibility to stand up for Gifty, she deserves respect, and I could not let such behaviour go unchecked,” she concluded

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