Majority leader questions urgency of Supreme Court nominee vetting, citing no current vacancies

Speaking at a press conference on August 27, 2026, Afenyo-Markin stated that there are no current vacancies on the Supreme Court, which is already operating with its full complement of justices. He argued that the nominees are intended to increase the number of justices rather than fill vacant positions, and therefore, there is no emergency to justify a three-day vetting process. Afenyo-Markin compared this situation to the replacement of two government ministers who died last year, noting that it took approximately a year to nominate replacements for those genuine vacancies.

He also dismissed the judicial vacation as a reason for rushing the process, emphasizing that the administration of justice remains operational. While the Majority Caucus is prepared to cooperate with the vetting of two ministerial nominees, Mahama Ayariga and Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings, they oppose the rushed vetting of the Supreme Court nominees. Afenyo-Markin suggested that Parliament has ample time, including the entire month of September, to complete the vetting process without compromising its work.

He further accused the governing National Democratic Congress NDC of reneging on its commitment to restraint, viewing the fast-tracked vetting as part of a pattern of using its parliamentary majority to its advantage, which he warned could underm