Majority Leader and Member of Parliament for Bawku Central, Mahama Ayariga, has revealed that he tried to mediate between the Majority and Minority caucuses before the violent disruptions during the ministerial vetting on January 30.
Despite his efforts to ease tensions, disagreements escalated, leading to the destruction of parliamentary property.
Appearing before Parliament’s Special Committee investigating the incident, Ayariga explained that he reached out to both sides in an attempt to find a compromise. However, neither faction was willing to back down.
The dispute began when the Majority insisted on proceeding with the vetting, despite the Minority’s request to postpone it to January 31. The refusal to reschedule heightened frustrations, ultimately resulting in the vandalism of microphones and tables in protest.
Ayariga noted that the nominees had arrived early, accompanied by their families and traditional leaders, and remained in Parliament until late in the evening. Given the circumstances, he said it would have been impractical to ask them to leave and return the next day.
“I spoke to both sides and tried to convince them, but neither was willing to compromise. The pressure came from the fact that the nominees had been scheduled for that day, and they had come with their families and traditional leaders,” Ayariga explained.
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