The Majority Leader in Parliament, Mahama Ayariga, has revealed that a businessman recently attempted to mobilize funds to support a ministerial nominee’s approval process, even though there was no requirement for such payments.
Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express on Tuesday, January 28, the Bawku Central MP recounted the encounter, stating that the Appointments Committee does not demand money from nominees and urging anyone with evidence of bribery to come forward.
“I actually met somebody who operates in a sector, and the person said, ‘Oh, our minister is being considered this week, so we want to go and help him.’ And I said, ‘Has the sector minister asked you to come and help him?’ He said, ‘No, no, we just want to come together and help him,’” Mr. Ayariga narrated.
He recounted how he immediately shut down the idea, warning the individual that such mobilization was unnecessary and would not be accepted.
“I told the person, ‘I don’t think there’s a need for you and people in your sector to mobilize money that you are going to help your minister, because we won’t even accept it,’” he said.
His revelation comes in response to allegations by lawyer and activist Oliver Barker-Vormawor, who claimed that ministerial nominees were being asked to pay bribes in exchange for parliamentary approval.
Mr. Ayariga dismissed the claims and called on Barker-Vormawor to provide proof.
“I had wind of what he said, and then the chairman reached out. I said, ‘Call him, let him come. And if he has anything and he can substantiate it, we need to deal with it openly and transparently,’” he stated.
The former Sports Minister stressed that the Appointments Committee operates with integrity and that no nominee needs to pay money to secure approval.
“You spent a few days on the committee. What personal knowledge or otherwise do you have to share on these claims being made—that some monies were paid to members of the committee to approve some of the nominees?
“I am unaware of any such thing. That’s why I think he should come. Maybe he has something, because, you see, in this country, all sorts of things happen.”
He pointed out that with the National Democratic Congress (NDC) having a majority in Parliament, there is no incentive for such payments.
“NDC is in power. We have 184 members, and then we have four other independent members. Two are actually NDC members. The others are not originally NDC but have agreed to do business with NDC. We can approve anybody. So no nominee needs to give anybody any money, because as a party, you will be whipped in line to vote according to the party’s interest,” he explained.
Mr. Ayariga further clarified that unless a nominee faces a serious issue raised through a petition, they are almost certain to be approved.
“Unless there’s something fundamentally wrong with you, and in that instance, if it’s revealed through a petition or something of that sort, we will go back to His Excellency. ‘Please, Excellency, we know your standards.
“This guy doesn’t meet your standards. Can you withdraw the nomination?’ Otherwise, every other person, most of them, are sitting members of Parliament, and constitutionally, at the barest minimum, they are qualified to be ministers of state.”
Reaffirming his stance on transparency, Mahama Ayariga encouraged anyone with credible evidence of wrongdoing to present it.
“If he has anything about some money being handed over to Appointments Committee members, he should just come, and then we’ll look into it. And I encourage it—not just this instance, but any other instance—because we want to build institutions that have integrity, that are credible, and that Ghanaians have trust and confidence in,” he emphasized.
The Majority Leader expressed skepticism about the allegations but remained open to investigation.
“I have not seen it. So I’ll be surprised if he comes up with anything tomorrow. I’ll be surprised. But we encourage every other person to come forward if they have evidence.”
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