The Ghanaian Parliament has officially summoned Oliver Barker-Vormawor, a well-known activist and lawyer to appear before its Appointments Committee on Wednesday, January 29, 2025 following allegations of bribery within the vetting process for ministerial nominees.
The summons, issued on January 28, 2025, follows comments made by Barker-Vormawor on his social media platforms, where he claimed that ministerial appointees were being asked to pay bribes to secure approval from the committee.
According to the official invitation letter, Barker-Vormawor made the statement on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) on January 24, 2025, at 9:25 p.m., questioning:
“So all the monies the ministerial appointees are being asked to pay to the Appointments Committee just to get approved, are those ones not affected by ORAL? Strange Republic.”
Additionally, a report from Ghana Today on January 25, 2025, attributed another statement to him, which alleged:
“NDC members on the Vetting Committee take money from Mahama’s ministerial nominees before approving them. The Deputy Speaker must submit himself to ORAL.”
Parliament has taken these allegations seriously, citing Article 103(6) of the 1992 Constitution and Order 134 of the Standing Orders of Parliament as the basis for summoning Barker-Vormawor to provide evidence supporting his claims.
The vetting of ministerial nominees has long been a contentious issue in Ghana’s political landscape, with accusations of bribery occasionally surfacing. The Appointments Committee, primarily made up of members from both the ruling and opposition parties, is responsible for scrutinizing nominees before parliamentary approval.
Oliver Barker-Vormawor, a prominent legal activist and co-founder of the #FixTheCountry movement, is known for his outspoken criticism of government institutions. His allegations, if proven true, could have serious implications for Ghana’s political integrity and parliamentary processes.
