Member of the New Patriotic Party Communications Directorate, Awal Mohammed, has questioned the circumstances surrounding Alexander Afenyo-Markin’s removal from Ghana’s delegation to the ECOWAS Parliament and his referral to the Privileges Committee.
According to him, the actions taken against Afenyo-Markin are an attempt to gag or restrict the Minority Leader.
Speaking on Joy News and monitored by NewsDesksGH on December 1, Awal Mohammed said the narrative suggesting that Afenyo-Markin defied a House order is misleading because no such binding resolution existed.
He argued that internal processes were sidestepped and that the change in Ghana’s ECOWAS representation was pushed through without Minority consultation.
“It’s a calculated attempt to gag Afenyo,” he said.
Responding to questions on why Afenyo-Markin allegedly ignored an order or resolution of the House, Awal insisted that no such decision was taken. “There was no resolution.”
He explained that the matter was raised on July 22 but claimed it was never debated or adopted by the chamber as a binding decision.
“They said they had changed him and replaced him with Patricia. And they did that unanimously without consulting the Minority,” he said.
Awal added that the Deputy Minority Leader, Patricia Appiagyei, herself expressed no interest in travelling for the assignment.
“Two days later she wrote a letter to Speaker and said ‘you’re creating division within our ranks. We are supposed to propose someone, even if you don’t want Afenyo to go’.”
Awal Mohammed added that because she declined the nomination, Afenyo-Markin remained the only valid name for the delegation from the Minority.
“So Afenyo remained on the bill because in the Minority side there was none because her name was presented and she declined,”
Awal stressed that simply because they’re in the Minority, that should not allow the Majority to impose decisions on them.
“Because we’re in the minority and we’re 87 it doesn’t mean that if you’re constituting any committee you can handpick anyone.”
He said the dispute could have been avoided had the Majority leadership engaged the Minority on their reasons.
“If they had sat and discussed with the minority leader the reasons why they wanted the deputy leader rather to go, the confusion would’ve been cleared,” he said.
“But if majority leader wants to unanimously do this, they want to just gag him. And we will not accept this,”
In July 2025, Ghana’s Parliament passed a resolution to reconstitute its ECOWAS delegation, which included removing Afenyo-Markin as a representative and replacing him with his deputy, Patricia Appiagyei.
The Majority Leader, Mahama Ayariga, later petitioned the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, accusing Afenyo-Markin of defying the House’s resolution by continuing to attend and participate in an ECOWAS Parliament session in Port Harcourt, Nigeria.
On November 27, the Speaker referred the matter to the Privileges Committee for investigation.
