The Minority Caucus in Parliament has demanded the immediate resignation of Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga and Majority Chief Whip Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor over what it calls a “failed and embarrassing” effort to scrap the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP).
In a statement signed by First Deputy Minority Whip Habib Iddrisu, dated December 12, 2025, the Minority said the two leaders had acted in direct contradiction to President John Dramani Mahama’s stated commitment to strengthening the OSP. The Minority described the move as unauthorised, ill-conceived, and a serious breach of trust.
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According to the Minority, the move conflicted with the President’s public stance. “Their attempt to dismantle an institution the President was at the same time commending points to either gross incompetence or outright insubordination, or both,” the statement said.
The caucus explained that Ayariga, the MP for Bawku Central, and Dafeamekpor, the MP for South Dayi, laid the Office of the Special Prosecutor (Repeal) Bill, 2025, on December 8, proposing that the OSP be abolished and its duties transferred to the Attorney-General’s Department.
However, two days later, President Mahama publicly described the OSP as “a vital cog in the fight against corruption” and called on the office to intensify efforts to build public trust and confront corruption head-on.
On December 11, 2025, the Presidency announced that the bill had been withdrawn at the President’s directive.
The Minority described the withdrawal as a “stinging public rebuke” that disclosed tensions between the President and his parliamentary leadership.
The group also questioned the timing of the bill, linking it to the recent arrest of Martin Kpebu, a critic of the OSP whom the Minority described as an NDC loyalist.
“The timing raises serious concerns,” the statement noted, suggesting that the arrest may have sparked “a coordinated, multi-layered attack on an independent anti-corruption body.”
Additionally, the Minority pointed to the coincidence between the bill and a Supreme Court action challenging Act 959. This legal move was announced on social media by Deputy Attorney-General Justice Srem-Sai, who said a citizen, Noah E. Tetteh, is seeking to nullify sections of the law that grant prosecutorial independence to the OSP.
The Minority argued that the conduct of the Majority Leader and Chief Whip represents a serious breach of trust, stressing that their roles as the President’s key parliamentary allies require sound judgment and discipline.
“The President’s intervention makes it clear that this initiative lacked approval, was poorly thought out, and ran counter to government policy,” the statement said. It added that the episode has harmed Ghana’s anti-corruption standing and weakened confidence in prosecutorial independence.
The Minority maintains that the only appropriate course of action is for both leaders to step aside to uphold accountability and help restore public trust in Parliament and Ghana’s anti-corruption framework.
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