Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga has criticised the Minority Caucus for walking out of Parliament’s engagement with the Governor of the Bank of Ghana (BoG), accusing the opposition side of prioritising media attention over parliamentary oversight.
Speaking to journalists after Wednesday’s proceedings, Mr. Ayariga defended Parliament’s decision to hold the Committee of the Whole sitting behind closed doors, arguing that the arrangement was consistent with the House’s Standing Orders and established parliamentary practice.
He explained that while committee meetings are generally open to the public, members have the authority to determine whether a particular sitting should be held privately.
According to him, the Minority had the opportunity to convince the Committee of the Whole to allow media coverage of the session but failed to secure the support needed before deciding to stage a walkout.
Mr. Ayariga noted that although the Minority referred to a previous instance where a Bank of Ghana Governor addressed Parliament publicly, that precedent did not automatically apply to the current engagement.
He dismissed claims that Governor Dr. Johnson Asiama was avoiding public scrutiny, stating that the BoG Governor was prepared to provide detailed answers to questions from lawmakers and that the information from the session could be made available afterwards.
The Bawku Central MP argued that lawmakers who were genuinely interested in holding the Governor accountable would have remained in the chamber to engage him rather than leaving the proceedings.
He accused the Minority of focusing more on public perception and media visibility than on the core responsibility of parliamentary oversight.
Mr. Ayariga further stressed that parliamentary business must be conducted in accordance with the Standing Orders of the House and not based on the demands of individual members or political caucuses.
His comments follow the Minority’s decision to boycott the Committee of the Whole meeting after First Deputy Speaker Bernard Ahiafor ruled that the media should be excluded from the BoG Governor’s briefing.
The Minority had insisted that the engagement should have been conducted openly to enhance transparency and accountability, leading to the protest walkout.
