The Member of Parliament for Suame, John Darko, has warned that Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin could face expulsion from Parliament following his referral to the Privileges Committee for alleged contempt.
Speaking on Citi Eyewitness News on Thursday, November 27, he described the development as unfortunate and insisted that the matter could have been resolved without escalating to this level.
“This is a regrettable situation. It could have been resolved without coming to this level,” he said.
Transitioning to the Minority’s position, he stressed that members remain fully behind their leader and will not be intimidated by the Speaker’s ruling or the ongoing process.
According to him, the Minority Caucus is united and unwavering in its support for Afenyo-Markin.
“With the Speaker’s ruling, the right thing will be done. We will appear before the Privileges Committee. The Minority members are behind our leader. No amount of intimidation can cow us. We support our leader, and we are behind him,” he declared.
John Darko further argued that the possible expulsion would undermine democratic practice in the House if such a decision is taken, affirming the minority’s commitment to participate in the committee hearings but will resist any attempts to silence them.
“When you send somebody to the Committee, one of the things that can come out is that he can be expelled from the House. So, are you expecting that the Minority Leader will be expelled? Is that the democracy we are building towards?
“We will appear before the Committee, but we will not be intimidated. We will stand strong and make our cases known. We will make sure our case is heard in every matter. They are just targeting the Minority Leader,” he insisted.
His comment comes in the wake of Speaker Alban Bagbin’s decision to refer Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin to the Privileges Committee for further investigation on grounds of contempt.
The referral followed a petition by Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga after Afenyo-Markin opposed a move to exclude him from Ghana’s ECOWAS delegation.
Bagbin refers Afenyo-Markin contempt case to Privileges Committee