Ibrahim Adjei, Former Assistant Secretary at the Office of former President Akufo-Addo, has criticised Speaker Alban Bagbin’s decision to refer Minority Leade,r Alexander Afenyo-Markin to the Privileges Committee, describing the move as an attempt to silence a vocal opposition leader.
He argued that the action taken against Afenyo-Markin was politically motivated and intended to weaken his scrutiny of government business.
He termed the Minority Leader as a consistent and outspoken legislator who has held the government accountable without fear or favour.
According to him, the Speaker’s ruling does not meet the threshold required to trigger a Privileges Committee probe.
“Honourable Afenyo-Markin has been a vociferous leader in making sure we hold this government to account. This is a way to silence and intimidate him, but if you know Afenyo-Markin very well, this kind of political guerrilla attack won’t work,” he said.
Mr Adjei insisted that the Minority Leader’s integrity remains intact and that the ruling will only embolden him to intensify his parliamentary oversight.
He added: “This ruling rather reveals something, because where is the impunity, infringement and disrespect that warrant the Privileges Committee to call him? The integrity of Parliament should be based on fact and not political expediency.”
His comment comes after Speaker Alban Bagbin cited Afenyo-Markin for contempt and referred him to the Privileges Committee.
The decision followed a petition by Majority Leader, Mahama Ayariga, who complained that Afenyo-Markin had opposed a resolution by parliament to exclude him from Ghana’s ECOWAS delegation.
