We will invoke the constitution if Minority MPs refuse to testify – Vetting chaos Ad-hoc Committee Chair Emmanuel Bedrah warns

Chairman of the Ad-hoc Committee investigating the recent vetting chaos, Emmanuel Bedrah, has warned Minority Members of Parliament (MPs) that the committee will invoke constitutional provisions and parliamentary standing orders if they fail to appear before it on Monday, February 10, 2025.

The Minority MPs have boycotted the hearings, insisting that proceedings should be held in-camera rather than in public. However, speaking to journalists after the second day of hearings on Friday, Bedrah, who is also the MP for Ho West, expressed his frustration over their absence.

“We are waiting for them to testify. I’m not biased. We all see what we’ve done here, so I’m surprised they say I’m biased. We’re waiting for them to testify on Monday. If they are not here, we will invoke the constitutional provision as well as the standing orders,” he stated.

Bedrah also dismissed accusations from the Minority Caucus that he has been prejudicial in handling the proceedings. He pointed out that one of their members, Atiwa East MP Abena Osei-Asare, was present at the committee’s session on Thursday, February 6, yet the rest of the Minority MPs continued to stay away.

“I am surprised because he [a Minority MP] was here with us on the first day, so I don’t know where the accusation of bias is coming from. Maybe he has to identify where I was biased,” Bedrah remarked.

Despite the Minority’s objections, the committee chairman emphasized that hearings will continue unless directed otherwise by the Speaker of Parliament.