The situation escalated to the point where tables and microphones were destroyed, prompting the intervention of the police to restore order and prevent further disruption.

The Majority insisted on proceeding with the vetting session beyond 10 PM, but the Minority strongly opposed the move, declaring that they were done for the day.

Members of the Minority started to lose the arranged tables and in the process, most of the microphones fell off and got broken.

After close to 30 minutes of confusion, Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga and other leaders step in and calm tempers.

He announced that with the tables broken and microphones destroyed, sitting can’t continue forcing the Committee to reschedule tomorrow.

Mr Ayariga apologised for the unfortunate incident and promised the MPs would be of good behaviour when sitting resumes tomorrow.

Speaking after the disruptions, Afenyo-Markin defended the Majority’s stance, insisting that nothing would stop them from asking the “necessary questions” during the vetting process.

“You are aware that some of the nominees, we don’t even ask them questions. Where we have to ask the relevant questions, we ask. Nothing will stop us from asking the necessary questions,” he said.

He accused the Minority of attempting to intimidate the Majority, stating, “NDC is always out to intimidate people. Always bullying. They can call us a micro-minority. They can say whatever they want to say. We’ve been cooperating with them.”

According to Mr Afenyo-Markin, an agreement had been reached to vet three nominees, but the Minority later attempted to push for additional nominees without proper consensus.

“Today, we agreed to do three. The committee is on a partisan track. Indeed, she is a typical NDC. She agrees with them and then informs people to come,” he said, without naming names.

Addressing journalists after the side staged a walkout on Wednesday, the Suame MP said they disagreed with the procedure the Speaker employed.

After the debate ended, the Speaker announced that the policy document was to be approved or rejected through a voice vote.

After the count of a voice vote, he ruled that the budget had been approved by a majority.

This, however did not sit well with the Minority who opposed the process and demanded a headcount using names of parliamentarians.

The charged atmosphere in the Chamber forced the Speaker to suspend sitting.

But to the Majority, the Speaker’s move was a deliberate delay for the Minority to have their full numbers in the House.

“Sam George is not here, Zanetor is not here, Mahama Ayariga, is not here so five of their members are not here. All the speaker is doing is to delay time for their members to come. What kind of attitude is this,” he fumed.

This makes it the second time the Majority has staged a walk out on their own budget after a similar act on the 2022 budget statement which introduced the e-levy.

Meanwhile, the Minority has vowed to oppose the passage of the 2024 budget which they have described as inimical to economic growth and development.

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According to him, the claim has no substance.

“I do not know the betrayal that he is talking about because, in the first place, we never promised you that we were going to support your motion of censure. We never said that we were going to vote to support you to get the Finance Minister out, so we never betrayed them…any motion of censure we are not going to be part of it,” Mr Iddrisu said.

He added that the motion is “ill-intended” and the NDC Caucus is alone in terms of the censure motion against Mr Ofori-Atta.

The Majority MPs had earlier threatened not to partake in the presentation of the 2023 Budget if Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, is not dismissed.

However, barely 24 hours before the presentation of the 2023 Budget the national executives of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) held a meeting with the NPP MPs and asked them to rescind their decision.

The leadership of the party appealed to the MPs to allow the Minister to present the budget.

Following this development, Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, on the floor of Parliament after the Budget has been presented on Thursday, accused the Majority MPs of betraying the NDC Caucus.

“We feel let down and we feel betrayed by the Majority Caucus who have shown no wit in supporting us with our impeachment process within the letter and spirit of Article 82 of the 1992 Constitution. We are not abandoning our censure motion.”

But the Second Deputy Majority Whip, Mr Iddrisu, in an interview on Top Story, Friday, said they will not support the Minority’s motion of censure.

Meanwhile, the eight-member Ad-hoc Committee set up by Parliament to probe the Minority censure motion against the Finance Minister has laid its report before the House.

It comes a week after the Committee concluded its work.

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Speaking to JoyNews after the presentation, Member of the Committee Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa expressed disappointment about the slow pace in dealing with the Committee’s report and taking a final decision on the Finance Minister.

“I was unhappy about the laissez-faire attitude …the heart of this issue is that Article 82 has been triggered. It says that during the debate, the Minister facing a vote of censure must be heard and that has been done. I thought that in the Business Statement for next week it would have been programmed specifically and clearly so that we will have a day set aside for the debate,” he said.