Deputy Minority Leader, Patricia Appiagyei, has rejected her inclusion in Ghana’s delegation to the ECOWAS Parliament as a replacement for Minority Leader Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin.
Parliament, on July 22, approved a reconstitution of Ghana’s delegation to the regional parliament, replacing Afenyo-Markin with Appiagyei. The move also means Afenyo-Markin, who served as Third Deputy Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, is expected to be succeeded in that role by Deputy Majority Leader George Kweku Ricketts-Hagan.
However, in a strongly worded memorandum to the Speaker of Parliament, Patricia Appiagyei expressed her outright objection and formally declined her inclusion. She explained that the decision was taken in her absence and without any consultation with either herself or the Minority Leader, describing the process as procedurally improper and politically regrettable.
“I was neither consulted nor did I give my consent to be considered as a replacement for the Minority Leader,” she stated, adding that at no point had she expressed any intention to replace Afenyo-Markin. She warned that the move appeared to be a calculated effort to cause division between herself and her leader.
Patricia Appiagyei further argued that the removal of Afenyo-Markin from the ECOWAS Parliament delegation contravenes both internal parliamentary practice and the statutes governing the regional body. She explained that under ECOWAS rules, a member’s tenure runs for four years once sworn in, and when elected as Speaker or Deputy Speaker, the tenure is co-terminous with the parliamentary term.
“The Minority Leader has not vacated his seat, nor has he been disqualified under any such criteria,” she stated, warning that any attempt to replace him outside these parameters breaches ECOWAS protocols and could be rejected by the regional parliament itself.
While acknowledging the importance of promoting gender equity and women’s representation in regional bodies such as the ECOWAS Parliament, Appiagyei insisted that such goals must be pursued within the bounds of due process, consultation, and internal consensus. “Using gender parity as a pretext for unilateral and procedurally irregular decisions undermines both the objective and institutional harmony we seek to preserve,” she said.
She emphasised that her refusal is in the interest of preserving the unity, integrity, and reputation of Ghana’s Parliament. She therefore urged the House to maintain the original nominees to the ECOWAS Parliament delegation, namely Afenyo-Markin, Kwame Anyimadu Antwi, and Bryan Acheampong, and requested that the Clerk to Parliament refrains from communicating any resolution that includes her name to the ECOWAS Parliament.
“It is my hope that this matter is addressed in a manner that preserves the unity and integrity of the House and avoids public embarrassment to the institution of Ghana’s Parliament,” she concluded.
Source: Starrfm.com.gh
