Leadership of Afenyo Markin as the Majority Leader saw division after division

When the National Council of the NPP confirmed Alexander Afenyo-Markin, MP for Effutu, to take on the mantle of Majority Leader from the venerable Hon. Osei Kyei-Mensa-Bonsu, MP for Suame on February 23, 2024, it was expected that the new leadership of the Majority Caucus in Parliament was going to strengthen internal party democracy and parliamentary norms.

The leadership of Afenyo Markin as the Majority Leader saw division after division. There have been several instances on the floor of Parliament which indicated that he was fond of calling names of MPs on the other side of Parliament with careless abundance. Hon. Afenyo Markin of the NPP Caucus projects himself to be divisive and arrogant in Ghana’s first hung Parliament in the 4th Republican dispensation.

The crescendo of Afenyo Markin’s arrogance as well as lack of emotional intelligence and maturity in the handling of Parliamentary debates was reached on Thursday, 17.10.2024. He was visibly angry and displaying arrogance and disrespect towards the Speaker to serve his ill-motivated petition against Parliament and he had to be brought to order by the Speaker. From the reasoned ruling of Speaker A.S.K. Bagbin on 17.10.2024 in Parliament, Hon. Afenyo Markin can be referred to as a former Majority Leader or now Minority Leader in Parliament until further notice.

I am of the firm believe that the way in which Afenyo Markin is conducting himself now would have been handled differently if it were the experienced former Majority Leader, Hon. Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu.

After getting a lightning speed ruling from the Torkornoo-led Supreme Court to suspend Speaker’s declaration on the vacancy of the 4 seats in Parliament, Afenyo Markin was at it again by calling the NDC ‘evil’ and alleged that the Speaker Bagbin is indirectly seeking another term in the event that the NDC government comes to power again in 2025. Therefore, the Speaker was doing the bidding for the NDC. This allegation of Afeyno Markin is highly unacceptable.

Since the Torkornoo-led Bench suspended the reasoned ruling of the Speaker on 18. October 2024, Afenyo Markin was happy while forgetting that his attitude toward Speaker Bagbin and the NDC MPs is a recipe for serious commotion and disunity in this Parliament. Hon. Afenyo Markin should learn from his predecessor, Hon. Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu and not allow his ergo as the Majority Leader with slimmest margin in Parliament and rather build consensus always. Now, the tables have turned in favor of the NDC Caucus.

Power is transient! A word to a wise is enough.

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