Member of Parliament for Ashaiman, Ernest Henry Norgbey, has rejected an accusation by a colleague MP that he is a hatchet-man in the Minority side.
He has demanded a retraction and apology of the claim levelled against him by Alexander Kwamina Afenyo-Markin, MP for Effutu and Deputy Majority Leader, who stated on a news analysis show over the weekend that Norgbey was the go-to person whenever the Minority wants to execute any nonsense.
In a letter available to GhanaWeb, the Ashaiman MP stressed that he is not a hatchet man and has never been nominated to ‘execute any nonsense.’
The letter reads in part: “I find the comments of Afenyo-Markin irresponsible, vile and evil against me and calculated to cause ill-will and disaffection to my person and most importantly, my office as the elected representative of the good people of Ashaiman in the Greater Accra Region.”
It continues: “I am a calm and amiable person who has so far delivered on my mandate and acquitted myself creditably as MP for Ashaiman. I am not prone to violence at all as he falsely alluded.
“However, I won’t condone any illegality and I would be one of those who would stand my grounds for the right thing to be done. I demand that Afenyo-Markin retracts those defamatory comments against my person and apologise,” the statement concluded.
The MP last week became the focus of attention when the House erupted into near-chaos following a controversial ruling by First Deputy Speaker, Joseph Osei-Owusu.
He was pictured snatching the seat of the Speaker after Osei-Owusu had adjourned sitting. He defended his action by explaining that since the presiding Speaker had declared that he was not The Speaker, he wanted to take the seat and keep it till the main Speaker, Alban Bagbin, returns from his medical leave.
What Afenyo-Markin said about Norgbey
Afenyo-Markin, who said he sometimes feared for his life in the Chamber, indicated the Minority would have assaulted the sit-in Speaker on December 1, if he had not adjourned sitting. When he did not, they planned to snatch the mace and Speaker’s chair – all of which was foiled by the Marshals.
“The next strategy was to get the mace out, so Marshal got wind of it and went to protect the mace. They were supposed to take the chair, eventually, the Ashaiman MP, remember he did the same thing to Ursula Owusu. He has been stationed to do that, he is the hatchet man.
“When there is nonsense, he will be nominated to execute the nonsense. Sometimes I sit in the Chamber afraid of my own life, I fear for my life because smallest thing, we are debating then you threaten somebody, I will beat you. I will beat you,” he said on Joy News.