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Attractive News Blog of Tuesday, 22 July 2025
Source: Andre Mustapha NII okai Inusah
Deputy Minority Leader Patricia Appiagyei has firmly rejected her nomination to Ghana’s reconstituted delegation to the ECOWAS Parliament, describing the process as flawed, politically insensitive, and lacking in transparency.
In a letter dated Monday, July 22, 2025, and addressed to the Speaker of Parliament, Appiagyei distanced herself from the parliamentary reshuffle that named her as a replacement for Minority Leader Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, who currently serves as a Deputy Speaker in the ECOWAS Parliament.
“I was neither consulted nor did I consent to being nominated as a replacement for the Minority Leader,” she wrote. “At no point have I expressed a desire to replace him, and I am troubled that this development seems designed to sow discord between myself and my Leader.”
Earlier in the day, Parliament approved a revised list of Ghana’s ECOWAS representatives, controversially removing Afenyo-Markin and installing Appiagyei in his place. The new lineup also named Deputy Majority Leader George Kweku Ricketts-Hagan as Afenyo-Markin’s successor in the role of Third Deputy Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament.
Appiagyei challenged the legality of these changes, arguing that they contravene the statutes of the ECOWAS Parliament. She noted that members are elected to serve fixed four-year terms and can only be removed under clearly defined circumstances, such as resignation, executive appointment, or disqualification — none of which, she stressed, applies to Afenyo-Markin.
“Any effort to replace him mid-term is a clear violation of ECOWAS regulations,” she stated. “Such actions not only undermine due process but also risk rejection by the ECOWAS Parliament.”
She also took issue with the Majority’s approach, accusing the leadership of sidelining both her and the Minority Leader in the decision-making process.
“This entire proposal was presented by the Majority Leader without any prior consultation with me or the Minority Leader,” she said. “It was done in our absence and without consensus.”
While reiterating her support for enhanced female representation in regional governance, Appiagyei cautioned against using gender equity as a tool for political maneuvering.
“True inclusion must be rooted in genuine dialogue and respect for institutional integrity — not imposed at the expense of procedure,” she noted.
Appiagyei concluded by formally declining the nomination and urged the Speaker and the Clerk of Parliament to refrain from communicating her inclusion to the ECOWAS Parliament. She also called for the retention of the original Minority Caucus delegation—comprising Afenyo-Markin, Kwame Anyimadu-Antwi, and Bryan Acheampong.
