The Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, yesterday announced a boycott of Parliament by members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Majority Caucus, accusing the Speaker of conspiring with the Minority to create confusion and favour the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).
Mr. Afenyo-Markin, who delivered a scathing statement shortly after the Speaker declared the seats of four Members of Parliament (MPs) vacant, also accused Mr. Alban S. K. Bagbin of deliberately dodging a court writ aimed at blocking his decision.
“We’ve just witnessed a conspiracy between the Speaker and the Minority to bring confusion in the House,” the Majority Leader declared, suggesting that the Speaker intentionally acted in a manner that favoured the NDC, the main opposition party to which he belongs.
Mr. Afenyo-Markin emphasised that the Majority believed the Speaker avoided serving the interests of all Members of Parliament, opting instead to “do the bidding of the NDC.”
The Majority Leader further explained that their boycott would continue until the matter was settled by the Supreme Court.
“We as the Majority Caucus immediately are boycotting Parliament until this matter is determined by the Supreme Court,” he announced, asserting that the Speaker had no authority to interpret the constitution—a role reserved for the courts.
“It is so clear that what he did was to give advantage to the NDC and do the bidding of the NDC,” Afenyo-Markin reiterated, underscoring their stance that the Speaker’s actions were politically motivated.
However, he also emphasised their respect for the rule of law, stating, “We are not going to go further to litigate. We have a process at the court. If the court makes a pronouncement, we will respect the orders of the court.”
Mr. Afenyo-Markin contended that the issues they raised require constitutional interpretation.
“We believe that the issues we have raised are issues for interpretation,” he stressed.
By Ernest Kofi Adu, Parliament House