Minority Challenges Speaker’s Ruling Dismissing Narcotics Probe Motion

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The Minority in Parliament has filed a review of the Speaker’s ruling that dismissed its motion for a parliamentary inquiry into major narcotics seizures. Minority Leader Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin announced the step at the Leaders’ press briefing in Parliament on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, as the House prepared to resume from recess.

The Minority Caucus filed the review under Standing Order 127 through First Deputy Whip Habib Iddrisu, the MP for Tolon, after the Speaker’s ruling of September 29, 2026.

Hon Afenyo-Markin argued that the ruling raises a serious question about Parliament’s power to demand accountability, and that criminal prosecutions cannot shield public institutions from scrutiny.

“The respect for the office does not require silence when a ruling raises a serious question about the constitutional powers of Parliament and the ability of elected representatives to demand accountability from public institutions.”

The motion at issue sought an inquiry into recent major narcotic seizures and the institutional, regulatory and security failures that may have enabled them.

The Minority filed the motion on September 28, after the Speaker recalled Parliament for September 29 amid concerns over cocaine seizures. The Speaker then dismissed the motion, and the Minority vowed to keep pushing.

Hon. Afenyo-Markin stressed that the review is not an attempt to undermine the Speaker’s authority. The Minority respects the office and recognises the constitutional responsibility of its occupant, he stated. He added that the Minority has a duty to raise its questions and will discharge it once Parliament resumes.

He listed the incidents that prompted the motion. On September 7, 2026, French authorities intercepted about 3.9 tonnes of cocaine at the port of Dunkirk, hidden in a consignment of plastic waste reportedly shipped from Ghana. The reported value was about €225 million.

Reports of major seizures in Amsterdam, Antwerp and Sydney followed, he noted, alongside interceptions within Ghana, including suspected cocaine found in the Tema Harbour Enclave and at Pedu Junction. The incidents raise concerns about port security, cargo inspection, customs controls and intelligence coordination, he argued, and they bear on Ghana’s international reputation.

Hon Afenyo-Markin widened the argument to the cost at home. Illicit drugs threaten the health and future of young people, destroy families, undermine productivity and burden the health and welfare systems, he warned.

The country risks “losing a generation of young people whose potential should be contributing to the development of our country.” The Minority leader drew a line between two constitutional roles.

A criminal court decides whether an accused person committed an offence, he explained, while Parliament examines whether public institutions discharged their responsibilities, whether laws and regulations are adequate and whether failures call for corrective action. The existence of one function does not extinguish the other.

He insisted that the Minority has never suggested that Parliament should interfere with criminal investigations, decide the guilt of accused persons or compromise the independence of the judiciary. Protecting judicial proceedings and the rights of the accused are fundamental obligations, he acknowledged.

He gave an example of a legitimate parliamentary question. If a consignment passes through a port and authorities intercept it abroad, the criminal case seeks the trafficker. Parliament, by contrast, may ask whether the cargo was inspected, whether procedures were followed, whether agencies had the intelligence, and whether security arrangements need reform.

“The prosecution of individuals, however necessary, cannot absolve the government of its responsibility to account for the institutional and regulatory weakness that may have facilitated these incidents.”

Minority Leader and MP for Effutu Constituency, Hon Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin cautioned against a situation where a criminal case becomes a convenient reason to shield public bodies.

Otherwise, the country risks “celebrating arrests and prosecutions while leaving unanswered the fundamental question of how such substantial quantities of narcotics continue to find their way through our security and enforcement systems.”

The Minority’s considered position, he stated, is that the sub judice principle must protect judicial proceedings without unnecessarily limiting Parliament’s oversight duty.

The government side has read the seizures differently. Hon. Agalga attributed a surge in narcotics busts to the NDC’s strategic measures, which treats the seizures as a sign of stronger enforcement.

The Minority hopes that the review of the ruling will bring its motion back before the House. Hon. Afenyo-Markin said the Minority intends to press the question once Parliament resumes, and the review will test whether the Speaker revisits the decision or holds to it.

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