Afenyo-Markin Removed from ECOWAS Parliament Delegation

Parliament has formally removed Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin from its delegation to the ECOWAS Parliament, despite his current role as the Third Deputy Speaker of the sub-regional legislative body.

The amendment, spearheaded by Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga, was tabled on the floor of Parliament to revise the list of Ghanaian MPs designated to represent the country at ECOWAS.

Afenyo-Markin’s name was replaced with that of his deputy, Patricia Appiagyei.

According to Ayariga, the change aligns with longstanding parliamentary practice which excludes caucus leaders from serving on external delegations such as ECOWAS or the Pan-African Parliament.

The move, however, sparked dissent from former Defence Minister Dominic Nitiwul, who challenged the amendment by pointing to previous cases where delisted MPs continued to show up at ECOWAS functions.

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In a stern response, Interior Minister Muntaka Mubarak cautioned that any defiance of Parliament’s decision could trigger sanctions.

“If Afenyo-Markin insists on presenting himself in defiance of the revised list, punitive action must be considered,” Muntaka said.

Though Afenyo-Markin’s initial selection was made by the Minority Caucus, the precedent of excluding parliamentary leaders from such appointments ultimately led to his removal.

In other related news involving Afenyo-Markin, he clashed with Bernard Ahiafor during vetting sessions in the chamber on Tuesday, June 16 in a moment that went viral on social media.

Ahiafor, the 1st Deputy Speaker and Chairman of Parliament’s Appointment Committee, beseeched Afenyo-Markin, the Committee’s ranking member, to ‘take a cue’, which elicited an exaggerated, humorous response from the Effutu legislator

The moment occurred during the vetting of Supreme Court nominee, Justice Gbiel Suurbaareh.

Afenyo-Markin asked the nominee to comment on a past Supreme Court ruling, but Ahiafor stepped in, describing the question as inappropriate.

He said as a matter of law settled by the Supreme Court, asking a nominee to comment on it is unnecessary.

Source: Liberalprint.com