Afenyo-Markin
The Majority Leader in Parliament, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has stated that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) caucus remains the majority side in the House, emphasising that relinquishing their current position to join the Minority would be an ill-fated move.
According to him, with the general election just three weeks away, it is spiritually and symbolically unwise to accept to sit on the Minority seats which are not the rightful place for the Majority caucus in the House.
Speaking to media after the Supreme Court proceedings on the four MPs seat saga, Mr. Afenyo-Markin said the symbolism of crossing to the other side is a bad omen and would send a wrong signal to Ghanaians.
“I should go and sit in the Minority (Leader’s) seat? Spiritually, it’s not even good. We have three weeks to elections. Is that my seat? I won’t do that. I will never do it,” he declared.
The Majority Leader underscored that the Minority side was “not (his) rightful place,” and voiced concerns that taking such a seat could inadvertently associate him and his colleagues, with a position they believe does not represent their electoral aspirations.
He affirmed the resolve of the NPP MPs to maintain their Majority status, declaring, “No NPP person will do that.”
He indicated that the NPP would not relinquish its majority position unless directed to do so by the Supreme Court, based on an interpretation of Article 97 of the Constitution under current circumstances.
He made this comment in response to a question of why he and members of his caucus would not agree to go and sit on the Minority side in the ongoing debate surrounding the seating arrangements in Parliament, particularly the dispute over which party holds the majority.
Mr. Afenyo-Markin stressed that maintaining the seating arrangement is crucial for stability of the House.
The Effutu Member of Parliament’s (MP) statement comes amidst tensions between the NPP and National Democratic Congress (NDC) caucuses, with each side claiming the majority.
The dispute began after Speaker Alban S. K. Bagbin declared four parliamentary seats vacant, a decision later stayed by the Supreme Court.
The apex court is expected to rule on the suit seeking an interpretation of Article 97(1) (g) and (h) as pertained to the vacancy of the four parliamentary seats.
Chronicling events, the Majority Leader alleged that Speaker Bagbin was covertly backing the NDC’s plan to gain control of Parliament, which ultimately led to the declaration of four seats vacant.
He was of the view that Mr. Bagbin has the power to resolve the standoff between the two sides by simply instructing NDC MPs to return to their designated seats in the House.
According to him, this directive would effectively diffuse the tension and restore order to the parliamentary proceedings.
Mr. Afenyo-Markin said by doing so, the Speaker can prevent further chaos and promote a more constructive dialogue between the Majority and Minority caucuses.
“We are decent-minded people. We respect the court. We respect the law. Our doors are open to the Speaker’s call.
“Political decisions are a common sense approach. We believe in a common sense approach in solving this, and the common sense approach is for Mr. Speaker to direct the NDC side to go back to their seats,” he intimated.
By Ernest Kofi Adu