LIVESTREAMING: Oliver Barker-Vormawor appears before Appointments Committee following summons

Social activist Oliver Barker-Vormawor is set to appear before the Appointments Committee of Parliament after being summoned to substantiate his claims regarding alleged bribery by members of the committee.

Barker-Vormawor accused committee members of accepting monetary bribes to expedite and approve ministerial nominees after their vetting process. He questioned why such corrupt practices were not being pursued by the anti-corruption committee, Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL).

“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,” he wrote in a Facebook post on January 24, 2025.

In response to these serious allegations, the Chairman of the Committee, Bernard Ahiafor, categorically refuted the claims, stating that no such incident had occurred.

According to him, he is willing to submit himself for an investigation, maintaining his integrity and insisting that he has not engaged in any corrupt activity.

“It is unfortunate that members of the Appointments Committee are being tagged with corruption. Our attention has been drawn to a media statement by Oliver Barker-Vormawor alleging that the Majority members of the committee have been demanding money before approving the nominees and that the chairman must submit himself to ORAL.

“Let me place on record that I am ever ready to submit myself to ORAL. The second aspect of the allegation suggests that all committee members were taking money from nominees before vetting and approval. This morning, instead of starting the vetting process at 10 a.m., we were called into a conclave to deliberate on this issue,” he said.

He added, “We need to stop certain attitudes. Therefore, I, Bernard Ahiafor, the First Deputy Speaker of Parliament and the Chairman of the Vetting Committee, want to place it on record that neither I nor any committee member has demanded money from any nominee before vetting and approval.”

Ahiafor has, therefore, instructed the Clerk of Parliament to summon Barker-Vormawor to appear before the committee and provide evidence to substantiate his claims.

The committee has warned that it will take drastic action, invoking its authority to address the matter, if Barker-Vormawor fails to honor the invitation.

“I will, therefore, direct the Clerk of the Committee to invite Oliver Barker-Vormawor to appear before the committee tomorrow between 10 a.m. and noon to provide evidence supporting his claim that we demand money from nominees before vetting and approval. If he fails to do so, we will invoke the powers of the committee under Article 103 and our own Standing Order 134. I so direct,” he added.

Watch the livestream below

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