Minority Leader Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin has urged the First Deputy Speaker and Chairman of the Privileges Committee, Bernard Ahiafor to resist any pressure to haul him before the committee, describing such a move as unprecedented in any democracy.
In his closing remarks on Friday, December 19, 2025, as Parliament adjourned for the Christmas recess, Afenyo-Markin defended his position as Third Deputy Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, asserting that his seat is a bona fide entitlement that cannot be removed unilaterally.
“May we return in the new year with a renewed energy, clearer purpose and deeper commitment to serving the people who sent us here, and hoping that the honorable First Deputy Speaker will resist the temptation of hauling the minority leader before a so-called a so called Privileges Committee,” he stated in his Christmas wish to the House.
He stated that the ECOWAS Parliament had outright rejected a resolution from Ghana’s Parliament seeking to remove him from his role, emphasising that his tenure runs until April 2028.
Afenyo-Markin insisted that he has not disrespected any order of the House and that his position at the sub-regional body is protected, unlike political appointees who can be replaced.
The remarks come amid an ongoing dispute that saw Speaker Alban Bagbin refer Afenyo-Markin to the Privileges Committee in November 2025 following a petition by Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga, who accused him of contempt for attending an ECOWAS session despite a July 2025 parliamentary resolution removing him from Ghana’s delegation.
The Minority has condemned the referral as unconstitutional and an attempt at intimidation.
In his address, Afenyo-Markin also called on Ghanaians to defend democracy against perceived tests of its spirit, warning against authoritarian tendencies disguised as democratic processes.
He pledged that the Minority Caucus would resist oppression and march forward with the Constitution, silenced voices, and the youth.
Afenyo-Markin expressed gratitude to colleagues on both sides, parliamentary staff, the media, and the Speaker’s leadership team, while advising members to prioritise family time and health checks during the recess.
He wished all a Merry Christmas and hoped for renewed energy upon Parliament’s return in the new year.