Parliament was thrown into confusion yesterday afternoon following a heated standoff between the Majority and Minority over the use of the dispatch box, prompting First Deputy Speaker Bernard Ahiafor to suspend sitting.
The commotion began when the Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin attempted to pose an urgent question from the dispatch box on the Minority side. However, the Majority Leader, Mahama Ayariga, objected, stating categorically that his side would not permit the Minority Leader to use the box.
In defence, the Minority Chief Whip, Frank Annoh-Dompreh, intervened, claiming that a prior ruling by the First Deputy Speaker had granted the Minority Leader permission to use the dispatch box. Acting on that premise, Mr. Annoh-Dompreh proceeded to ask the First Deputy Speaker to allow Afenyo-Markin to ask his question.
But Mr. Ahiafor swiftly denied ever issuing such a ruling. The situation escalated further when the First Deputy Minority Whip, Habib Iddrisu, stood up to insist that the Deputy Speaker had indeed made such a pronouncement in the past.
This claim visibly angered the Deputy Speaker, who demanded that Habib either provide evidence of the alleged ruling or retract the statement. Mr. Habib, however, stood his ground, insisting that he had not breached the rules of the House and thus would not withdraw his comment.
The Deputy Speaker then warned that if the Member for Tolon failed to withdraw, he would refer the matter to the Privileges Committee, citing the chamber’s status as a House of record.
Eventually, after sustained pressure and nearly ten minutes of back-and-forth exchanges, Habib Iddrisu reluctantly withdrew his comment, though the mood in the chamber remained tense.
In light of the disruption and to restore order, Mr. Ahiafor suspended sitting at approximately 3:22 p.m.
By Ernest Kofi Adu, Parliament House