The African Centre for Parliamentary Affairs has asked parliament to investigate the confusion that rocked the country’s delegation to the ECOWAS Parliament in Abuja, Nigeria. According to the centre, the House must also put in place measures to prevent such “embarrassment” in the future.
Ghana’s delegation to the ECOWAS Parliament, was left stranded outside the legislative house in Abuja, after the speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament refused to swear in the members because the list presented was more than the number of seats available to Ghana.
The incident, which some members called an “international embarrassment to the country” resulted from the refusal of Fred Opare Ansah, NPP MP for Suhum, to step down as a Member of the regional legislature. The Suhum MP has been a member of the ECOWAS Parliament until the Majority NPP leadership in Ghana’s Legislature reconstituted the Ghanaian delegation to Abuja in a recent statement published by the Ghanaian media.
The reconstituted Ghanaian delegation, which does not include the Suhum MP, has Majority Chief Whip, Kwasi Ameyaw-Cheremeh, as leader. Members of the delegation are O. B Amoah, Member of Parliament (MP) for Akwapim South, Ama Pomaah Boateng Andoh, MP for Juaben, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, Effutu MP, Kwabena Appiah-Pinkrah member for Akrofuom. The rest are member for Anlo, Clement Kofi Humado, Mahama Ayariga, Bawku Central MP and Sampson Ahi, MP for Bodi. Sources say the decision to reconstitute the delegation was taken without any formal communication to the Suhum MP.
The Member of Parliament for Effutu, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, subsequently withdrew from Ghana’s delegation to save Ghana further embarrassment. Although the issues were resolved, some civil society groups are calling for a probe into circumstances surrounding the incidence. Executive Director of Centre, Dr Rasheed Dramani, said the Privileges Committee of Parliament must take up the matter in order to prevent such embarrassment in the future.
In a Citi News interview, he said, “We just hope that if the privileges committee looks at it, its not an issue that at the end of the day, the committee is going to pass behind their colleague or colleagues and whoever is responsible for this embarrassment, but one where hopefully we can see some lessons learnt and measures put in place, because after every election, we are going to have a reconstitution of this delegation.”
The leadership of parliament is yet take any serious action on this matter. Meanwhile, the Minority Spokesperson on Foreign Affairs and Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has also called for an investigation into the matter. He said, the Majority could have avoided the embarrassing situation if it had worked out details internally as he noted that, “per the formula we agreed, the Majority side had to send five members, and we [the Minority] send three members because we had eight seats to occupy on the ECOWAS parliament.” “At this point, it is important to learn lessons.
That is why I intend to raise the matter when the Foreign Affairs committee meets and I am hoping that colleagues on the committee will ask that leadership of the house looks into this matter with the view of preventing a recurrence,” the MP said.
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