The Deputy Minority Whip and MP for Weija Gbawe, Jerry Ahmed Shaib, has accused the Majority side in Parliament of abusing their powers during the vetting of Chief Justice nominee Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, claiming the process was marred by “intimidation, obstruction, and political arrogance.”
In an interview on the Asaase Breakfast Show on Tuesday (11 November), Ahmed Shaib said the Majority’s conduct during the vetting demonstrated “a dangerous erosion of parliamentary democracy.”
“Yesterday, what we saw was just so undemocratic—a total abuse of power. Every statement our leader made was interrupted or objected to. It was clear the Majority had hatched a plan to derail the process,” he said.
He dismissed the Majority’s argument that the Minority was wrong to refer to Justice Baffoe-Bonnie as a “disputed nominee,” insisting that parliamentary language allows such expressions when a matter is under contention.
“When did it become a problem to use words like ‘disputed’ or ‘travesty of justice’? Are we now abandoning democracy for authoritarian rule?” he asked.
According to him, the Minority’s concern was not personal but institutional — focused on the office of the Chief Justice rather than Justice Baffoe-Bonnie himself.
“Our remarks were not against the person but the office. There’s already someone in that office who has pending matters before the courts. It’s only fair to let those cases be resolved first,” he explained.
Ahmed Shaib further alleged that tensions at the vetting reached a point where Minority members were warned that staying through the session “would not guarantee their safety.”
“We heard that if we stayed till the end, we wouldn’t have peace going home. That’s how bad it had become,” he revealed.
He called on Ghanaians to pay closer attention to what he described as “creeping executive control over the judiciary and Parliament,” warning that the country’s democratic institutions risk being compromised.
“It starts like this — gradually, then one day there’s no democracy left. We must open our eyes before it’s too late,” he said.
The Minority caucus has since maintained its rejection of the vetting process and insists that Parliament must await judicial clarification before confirming any new Chief Justice.
Asaase Broadcasting Company airs on Asaase 99.5 Accra, Asaase 98.5 Kumasi, Asaase 99.7 Tamale, Asaase 100.3 Cape Coast, AsaasePa 107.3 (Accra).
Affiliates: Bawku FM 101.5, Bead FM 99.9 (Bimbilla), Mining City Radio 89.5 (Tarkwa), Nandom FM 101.9, Nyatefe Radio 94.5 (Dzodze), Sissala Radio 96.3 (Tumu), Somuaa FM 89.9 (Gushegu), Stone City 90.7 (Ho) and Wale FM 106.9 (Walewale).
Listen online: asaaseradio.com, Sound Garden and TuneIn.
Follow us:
X: @asaaseradio995, @Asaase985ksi, @Asaase997tamale, @asaase1003, asaasepa1073
Instagram: asaaseradio99.5, asaase985ksi, asaase100.3, asaase99.7tamale, asaasepa107.3
LinkedIn: company/asaaseradio995. TikTok: @asaaseradio99.5
Facebook: asaase99.5, asaase985ksi, Asaase100.3, asaase99.7, AsaasePa107.3.
YouTube: AsaaseRadioXtra.
Join the conversation. Accra: call 020 000 9951/054 888 8995, WhatsApp 020 000 0995. Kumasi: call 059 415 7985 or call/WhatsApp 020 631 5260. Tamale: call/WhatsApp/SMS 053 554 6468. Cape Coast: call/WhatsApp 059 388 2652.
#AsaaseRadio
#AsaasePa
#TheVoiceofOurLand
