By: Franklin ASARE-DONKOH
The Leader of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) group in Parliament, Mr. Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, says he will never sit in the seat in the House originally assigned to Minority Leaders
According to him, it is a bad omen to sit in the seat of the Minority Leader due to what he describes as ‘spiritual reasons’.
With just a few weeks left to go into the presidential and parliamentary elections slated for December 7, 2024, Mr. Afenyo-Markin explained that it would be unwise symbolically and spiritually improper for him to occupy that seat.
According to the Leader of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) group in Parliament, sitting in the Minority Leader’s seat would be tantamount to leading his caucus into a minority position in Parliament.
Mr. Afenyo-Markin has firmly stated that the Majority caucus will never occupy minority seats in Parliament, following a crucial Supreme Court ruling that stayed the Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin’s declaration of four parliamentary seats as vacant.
Speaking with some journalists on Monday, November 11, 2024, Mr. Afenyo-Markin made this bold assertion after the Supreme Court announced it would deliver its judgment on the controversial matter of the vacant seats on Tuesday, November 12, 2024.
The case has triggered significant political tension, with both the Majority and Minority caucuses deeply divided over the issue.
The dispute centres on Speaker Alban Bagbin’s declaration of four parliamentary seats as vacant. Bagbin made this move because the four Members of Parliament (MPs) in question – Kwadjo Asante (Suhum), Cynthia Morrison (Agona West), Andrew Asiamah (Fomena) and Peter Kwakye Ackah (Amenfi Central) – had violated constitutional requirements, thus justifying their removal from office.