The Majority Leader Files Formal Complaint Against the Minority Leader
The Majority Leader, Mr. Mahama Ayariga, has officially filed a complaint with the Speaker of Parliament against the Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin. This action stems from allegations that Mr. Afenyo-Markin has committed acts of contempt against Parliament and violated parliamentary privileges.
In his formal submission, Mr. Ayariga urged the Speaker to refer the matter to the Privileges Committee for a thorough investigation. He emphasized that if Mr. Afenyo-Markin is found guilty, appropriate sanctions should be imposed.
Mr. Ayariga, who also serves as the Leader of Government Business, cited specific provisions in the Standing Orders of Parliament—Order 30 and Order 31(O)—which define acts that constitute contempt of Parliament. These include obstructing or impeding the functioning of Parliament, interfering with the Speaker, a Member, or an Officer of Parliament, and affronting the dignity or authority of the House.
A Resolved Delegation
Mr. Ayariga explained that on July 22, 2025, the Parliament of Ghana passed a resolution that constituted the country’s delegation to the ECOWAS Parliament. Notably, this resolution explicitly removed Mr. Afenyo-Markin’s name from the list of members.
He stated that this decision was communicated to the ECOWAS Parliament. However, during the ECOWAS Parliament session held in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, from September 25–28, 2025, Mr. Ayariga reported that Mr. Afenyo-Markin was seen seated among members of Ghana’s delegation, despite having been officially removed.
This presence reportedly caused the ECOWAS Parliament to initially refuse to swear in the Ghanaian delegation. To resolve the situation, Mr. Ayariga had to personally intervene and threaten to withdraw Ghana from ECOWAS before the Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament finally swore in four members of the delegation.
Defiance of Parliamentary Authority
Mr. Ayariga, who represents the Bawku Central constituency, described Mr. Afenyo-Markin’s attendance at the ECOWAS session as a “clear defiance” of Parliament’s resolution. He argued that this act undermined the authority of the House and constituted a serious breach of parliamentary procedures.
“By defying this Parliament’s resolution and actually going to Port Harcourt to attend the session, he has affronted the dignity and engaged in an act that constitutes an affront to the authority of this Parliament,” Mr. Ayariga emphasized.
According to Mr. Ayariga, contempt of Parliament includes actions that obstruct or impede the House in the performance of its functions, interfere with the Speaker, a Member, or an Officer of Parliament, and bring the name of Parliament into disrepute.
Calls for Investigation
The legislator argued that Mr. Afenyo-Markin’s actions clearly fall under these provisions. He called on the Speaker to refer the Minority Leader to the Privileges Committee for further processing.
Mr. Ayariga insisted that if the committee finds Mr. Afenyo-Markin culpable, appropriate sanctions must be applied. He expressed confidence that the Speaker would carefully examine the merits of the complaint and make a decision based on the facts presented.