Dr. Kwaku Afriyie
The Member of Parliament (MP) for Sefwi-Wiawso, Dr. Kwaku Afriyie, has disavowed the apology extended on his behalf by Majority Chief Whip Frank Annoh-Dompreh following his expulsion from parliamentary proceedings by Speaker Alban Bagbin.
The incident transpired during deliberations on President Akufo-Addo’s nomination of two justices to the Supreme Court bench, wherein Speaker Bagbin called for a thorough examination of issues relating to the Supreme Court’s full roster upon the Appointments Committee’s report presentation.
Dr. Afriyie challenged the Speaker’s statement, asserting that it was beyond Bagbin’s authority to make such declarations.
This dissenting viewpoint prompted Speaker Bagbin to order Dr. Afriyie’s removal from the parliamentary chamber, characterizing his remarks as impolite and lacking in respect.
Subsequently, the Majority Chief Whip expressed regret to the Speaker on behalf of the caucus for the perceived offense caused by Dr. Afriyie’s statements.
However, Dr. Afriyie rebuffed any culpability when speaking on Citi Fm, vehemently rejecting the notion of wrongdoing and clarifying that he had not sanctioned the Majority Chief Whip to extend apologies on his behalf.
“He apologized on my behalf? Well, he doesn’t have my permission to do that, and this one you can put on record. We’ll take it everywhere. I haven’t done any wrong, why should I apologize?” Dr. Afriyie stated during the interview, emphasizing that his comments did not amount to disrespect or insult towards the Speaker.
Asserting his innocence in the matter, Dr. Afriyie underscored his belief that his statements were within the bounds of parliamentary discourse and maintained his stance against offering an apology for actions he deemed appropriate within the parliamentary dialogue framework.
By Vincent Kubi