10 reasons why the NPP’s boycott of CJ vetting was ‘not useful’ – Kwaku Azar explains

Renowned US-based Ghanaian lawyer and legal scholar, Professor Stephen Kwaku Asare, popularly known as Kwaku Azar, has criticised the decision by the Minority caucus in Parliament to boycott the vetting of Chief Justice nominee, Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie.

The Minority, led by Alexander Afenyo-Markin, staged a walkout during the vetting, claiming that the process breached constitutional provisions due to pending court cases challenging the nomination filed by former Chief Justice Gertrude Sackey Torkonoo.

However, Kwaku Azar argued that while boycotts can awaken consciences, galvanise the public, and expose injustice, the Minority’s decision was not useful.

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In a Facebook post on Tuesday, November 11, he outlined ten (10) reasons for his stance:

Vetting is the constitutional forum for asking questions and demanding answers. By walking out, the Minority silenced itself. Answers cannot be obtained from outside the committee room.

Parliamentary vetting is transcribed for history. Future generations will read who asked what and who stood for what. The Minority’s absence leaves a blank space in the national record.

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A single pointed question can reveal more than a week of press statements. By boycotting, the Minority surrendered that power and the opportunity to frame the moral and legal debate.

The process did not stop because of their absence. It continued unchallenged. In politics, vacuums are quickly filled, usually by those one seeks to restrain.

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Engagement is harder but nobler than exit. The boycott appeared petulant rather than principled, forfeiting the moral authority that comes from constructive participation.

Few democratic tools are as powerful as the right to question a nominee for the nation’s highest judicial office. That opportunity will not return soon, yet it was discarded.

Checks and balances work only when both sides show up. The Minority’s absence turned oversight into oversight failure.

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The vetting went on. The Majority asked the questions, the nominee answered, and the public heard one voice. The Minority’s perspective vanished from both the airwaves and the record.

Boycotts attract short-term headlines but leave no lasting impact. Substance resides in the debate transcript, not in the empty chair.

Voters elected the caucus to speak on their behalf, not to stay away. Constituents expect presence, diligence, and voice, not absence, neglect, and silence.

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Professor Kwaku Azar’s remarks sparks further debate among political observers, with many agreeing that while symbolic protests have their place, engagement remains a more effective tool in defending constitutional principles.