Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga has criticised the Minority for walking out of Parliament’s engagement with the Governor of the Bank of Ghana (BoG), accusing the caucus of seeking media attention instead of using the opportunity to question the central bank chief.

Speaking to journalists after Wednesday’s proceedings, Mr. Ayariga defended the decision to hold the Committee of the Whole sitting behind closed doors, insisting that it was in line with Parliament’s Standing Orders and long-standing parliamentary practice.

He explained that committee meetings are generally held in public unless members decide otherwise, adding that the Minority failed to convince the Committee of the Whole to open the session before staging its protest.

According to the Majority Leader, although the Minority cited a previous occasion when a BoG Governor addressed Parliament publicly, it did not secure the committee’s approval for a similar arrangement this time.

Mr. Ayariga rejected claims that Governor Dr. Johnson Asiama was avoiding public scrutiny, saying the Governor had prepared detailed responses to lawmakers’ questions and remained willing to make the information available after the meeting.

He argued that had the Minority been genuinely interested in holding the Governor accountable, its members would have stayed in the chamber to seek answers rather than abandoning the proceedings.

The Bawku Central MP further accused the opposition of placing greater emphasis on public perception than on parliamentary oversight.

He also stressed that Parliament’s business must be conducted in accordance with its Standing Orders and not based on the preferences of individual members or political groups.

Mr. Ayariga maintained that any proposal to change the format of a committee sitting must first receive the approval of the committee, adding that no caucus can unilaterally determine how parliamentary proceedings should be conducted.

His comments come after the Minority boycotted the Committee of the Whole meeting in protest against First Deputy Speaker Bernard Ahiafor’s decision to exclude the media from the BoG Governor’s briefing. The walkout followed the caucus’s insistence that the engagement should have been held in public to promote transparency and accountability.