Afenyo-Markin raises concern over the exclusion of Minority MPs from ECOWAS, Pan-African delegations
Afenyo-Markin raises concern over the exclusion of Minority MPs from ECOWAS, Pan-African delegations
The Minority Leader in Ghana’s Parliament, Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, has accused the Majority leadership of deliberately sidelining the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Minority by disregarding agreed formulas for representation in international bodies, including the ECOWAS and Pan-African Parliaments.
Addressing a section of the media in Parliament on Wednesday, March 11, the Minority Leader argued that the current posture of the Majority caucus reflects a “troubling pattern” where numerical dominance is being used to exert disproportionate control over institutional representation.
Mr. Afenyo-Markin, who is the Member of Parliament (MP) for Effutu constituency in the Central Region, alleged that the Majority has set aside established formulas for selecting delegates to international legislative bodies, thereby silencing alternative perspectives in key national and regional forums.
“Instead of we having two, strangely, we were denied, and only one was given to us, bypassing this formula, and we were told that we should take an observer status. When it came to ECOWAS Parliament, though the formula was agreed, yet the majority out of the blue decided to mount a motion without notice, mending the Minority’s proposal, which had been agreed at the committee on selection. As we speak, on all delegations, the Minority has been denied because we have insisted on our rights,” he said
Mr. Afenyo-Markin also alleged a deliberate scheme within Parliament to stifle the minority caucus, stating that several motions filed by members have remained unattended.
“In practice, some of the Minority’s motions, though formally advertised, have still not been taken for a debate in the house,” he said.
The Effutu MP warned that such actions undermine the independence of Parliament and limit the Minority’s ability to effectively perform its constitutional duties.
The issue of international representation has been a flashpoint since mid-2025. In July 2025, Parliament passed a resolution that removed Afenyo-Markin from the ECOWAS Parliament delegation, despite him serving as its 3rd Deputy Speaker.
The dispute led to a motion of contempt after he attended a regional session in Nigeria later that year. While the referral to the Privileges Committee was eventually withdrawn on March 4, 2026, Afenyo-Markin maintains that the underlying issue of excluding Minority voices remains unresolved.
The Majority Leader, Mahama Ayariga, has previously defended the reconstitution of delegations, arguing it aligns with the current standing orders and reflects the internal leadership changes within the House.
