The Minority in Parliament has accused the Majority of deliberately obstructing the work of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) following the abrupt suspension of proceedings into a special audit report on GH¢68 billion in government arrears.
The dispute arose after Majority members withdrew from a scheduled committee sitting, forcing the session to be halted despite the presence of invited stakeholders.
PAC Chair Abena Osei Asare raised the issue on the floor of Parliament, describing the incident as a major setback to the committee’s mandate.
She explained that the audit had been referred to the committee with strict timelines, and proceedings had commenced as planned before being interrupted mid-session.
According to her, the sitting began at 9:00 a.m., but around 11:15 a.m., a Majority whip directed their members to withdraw, leaving the committee without the required representation to continue.
“With no ranking members present, we could not proceed, and we had to halt the sitting and ask stakeholders to return at a later date,” she told the House.
She expressed concern over the impact of the disruption, noting that the committee is working within a limited timeframe and had already mobilised stakeholders for the session. She appealed for guidance on how to proceed under the circumstances.
However, the Majority has rejected claims of deliberate interference. Responding on the floor, Majority Chief Whip Rockson Nelson Dafeamekpor said the withdrawal was due to scheduling constraints rather than any attempt to undermine the probe.
He explained that Parliament is currently handling a heavy legislative workload, which necessitated prioritising plenary sessions over committee sittings.
According to him, a prior decision had been taken to temporarily suspend committee activities to allow Members of Parliament to focus on plenary business until Friday.
He added that alternative arrangements had been proposed, including holding committee sittings before plenary or after adjournment, to ensure both responsibilities are met.
Mr Dafeamekpor also pointed to concerns about quorum, noting that overlapping schedules could affect attendance in the House.
Despite the disruption, he maintained that the PAC still has sufficient time to complete its work and submit its report within the stipulated period, insisting that the committee’s mandate has not been compromised.
