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Els MBN360 News
The Minority in Parliament is demanding an unqualified apology from Speaker Alban Bagbin and Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga, accusing them of political persecution of Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin. The Minority claims the Speaker and Majority Leader are embroiled in a coordinated campaign of intimidation against Afenyo-Markin, citing three incidents as evidence.
Deputy Minority Leader Patricia Appiagyei stated that the actions taken by the Speaker and Majority Leader are politically motivated and risk eroding confidence in Ghana’s parliamentary democracy. She argued that Afenyo-Markin’s refusal to step down from the ECOWAS Parliament was a constitutional duty to resist unconstitutional acts.
The controversy stems from Afenyo-Markin’s removal from Ghana’s ECOWAS Parliament delegation, which he claims is unlawful. The Speaker has referred Afenyo-Markin to the Privileges Committee for allegedly defying Parliament’s resolution.
Appiagyei has demanded the withdrawal of the referral, a public apology to ECOWAS and the Ghanaian public, and an end to “political harassment”. The Minority vows to defend Afenyo-Markin and Ghana’s democracy.
“They claim to defend the Constitution, and now seek to punish the one man who had the courage and moral clarity to stand firm in defence of the rule of law,” she said.
“If defending the Constitution is now contempt, then every patriot in Ghana should prepare to be held in contempt by this Speaker and Majority Leader.”
She further described the situation as only one episode in what she believes is a “coordinated campaign of intimidation” against the Minority Leader.
She cited three incidents which, in her view, point to a broader attempt to silence him.
First, she referenced an alleged threat by an NDC National Vice Chairman who reportedly vowed to “deal with” the Minority Leader, an incident she said remains unprosecuted despite police statements suggesting an arrest.
Second, she claimed the Attorney-General’s office had floated “threats of criminal reviews” through selective media leaks aimed at tarnishing the Minority Leader’s reputation and weakening his oversight role.
She also criticised the Speaker’s handling of the ECOWAS Parliament matter, describing it as a breach of regional law.
The Minority maintains that the actions taken by the Speaker and Majority Leader are politically motivated and risk further eroding confidence in Ghana’s parliamentary democracy.
