Mahama Ayariga and Alexander Afenyo-Markin
The Majority Leader, Mahama Ayariga, has called on the Speaker, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, to refer the Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, to the Privileges Committee for contempt of Parliament.
Mr. Ayariga accused the Effutu Member of Parliament (MP) of acting in “clear defiance” of a resolution passed by Parliament on July 22, 2025, which removed his name from Ghana’s delegation to the ECOWAS Parliament.
Despite this resolution, Mr. Afenyo-Markin reportedly attended and participated in the ECOWAS Parliamentary session held in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, from September 25 to 28, 2025.
The Majority Leader described the act as a serious affront to the authority and dignity of Ghana’s Parliament.
“Mr. Speaker, by defying this Parliament’s resolution removing him from the delegation to the ECOWAS Parliament and actually going to Port Harcourt to attend the session, the Honourable Afenyo-Markin has clearly engaged in conduct that constitutes an affront to the authority of this House,” Mr. Ayariga asserted.
Citing Standing Orders 30 and 31 of Parliament, Mr. Ayariga argued that Mr. Afenyo-Markin’s actions fall squarely under Order 30(1)(o), which defines contempt as any act that “affronts the dignity or authority of Parliament or tends, directly or indirectly, to bring its name into disrepute.”
According to the Majority Leader, the ECOWAS Parliament initially refused to swear in Ghana’s officially approved delegation because of the controversy surrounding Mr. Afenyo-Markin’s continued presence.
He said it took his intervention, including a threat to push for Ghana’s withdrawal from the ECOWAS Parliament, before the Speaker of that regional body relented and swore in Ghana’s four-member delegation.
“It was only upon my insistence and threat to introduce a resolution for Ghana to withdraw from ECOWAS that they agreed to swear in our members,” he recounted.
Mr. Ayariga therefore urged the Speaker to refer the matter to the Privileges Committee for investigation and possible sanctions.
“Mr. Speaker, I rise pursuant to the relevant orders to make a complaint of contempt of Parliament and a breach of parliamentary privilege, and to refer the Honourable Afenyo-Markin to the Privileges Committee to be processed. If the Committee confirms that he indeed defied our resolution, the appropriate sanctions must be applied,” he demanded.
Responding to the request, Speaker Bagbin acknowledged receipt of the formal complaint and said he would study the matter before making a ruling.
“You have heard the complaint of contempt being laid before us. The rules are clear. I will have to come back to the House with my view on this matter before I decide whether to refer it to the Committee or not,” the Speaker stated.
He assured the House that due process would be followed and that members would have the opportunity to comment once a decision is made.
“I will take the whole of today to consider the complaint and communicate my decision to the House tomorrow,” he added.
By Ernest Kofi Adu, Parliament House