Watch as Ayariga flares up at Afenyo-Markin over new MoMo transfer charge

The temper of Majority Leader, Mahama Ayariga, flared during parliamentary sitting on May 26, 2026, when Minority Leader, Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, raised concerns over a proposed 0.75 per cent fee on wallet-to-bank transfers.

The disagreement happened at the start of parliamentary proceedings when Afenyo-Markin expressed concern over the policy and linked it to past debates on the E-Levy.

“If the Finance Minister may recall, his government decided to repeal the E-Levy law, and now Bank of Ghana is introducing the E-Levy again,” he said.

Inside Afenyo-Markin's high-level meeting with Otumfuo Osei Tutu II

He further suggested that there had been changes and suspensions around the policy and called for clarification from the Finance Minister, who was also present at the chamber.

During the exchange, First Deputy Speaker Bernard Ahiafor, who was presiding, cautioned Afenyo-Markin to follow parliamentary procedures.

“You see, Minority Leader, with all due respect, when we operate within the rules, problems of this nature will not happen,” he said.

Tensions escalated when Ayariga strongly objected to Afenyo-Markin’s remarks about the E-Levy and called for them to be removed from the record.

“I request that everything that he has said should be expunged from the records. This kind of lawlessness cannot be accepted, not especially from a leader. Please, let's get serious,” he said.

Ayariga insisted that parliamentary rules must be followed and warned against what he described as disorderly conduct.

“You’ve been in this House, you have just come, but those of you who have been in this House, for God’s sake after votes and proceedings, is it the first thing to get up and be asking questions to the Finance Minister?” he asked.

He added that the House risked descending into chaos if rules were not respected.

“Otherwise, we will descend to chaos and lawlessness. And you, the Minority Leader, you cannot lead in allowing this House to descend into chaos and lawlessness,” he stated.

Ayariga further questioned the Minority Leader’s approach, insisting that there are clear rules guiding parliamentary conduct.

“You just get up and whatever you want to say, you just say. That you are who? That you are who? Please. Mr Speaker, we cannot allow that,” he added.

Read excerpts from the conversation below:

Afeyo-Markin: If the Finance Minister may recall, his government decided to repeal the E-Levy law and now Bank of Ghana is introducing the E-Levy again. Mr Speaker, because the Finance Minister is here and now they make an announcement that they have suspended it for further consultation… Majority Leader may intervene.

Ahiafor: You see, Minority Leader, with all due respect, when we operate within the rules, problems of this nature will not happen.

Ayariga: Mr Speaker, I request that everything that he has said should be expunged from the records. Mr Speaker, this kind of lawlessness cannot be accepted, not especially from a leader. Please, please, let's get serious. Let's get serious. Please, don't let us start this meeting on this note.

You [Afenyo-Markin], we've been in this house, you have just come, but those of you who have been in this house, for God's sake after votes and proceedings, is it the first thing to get up and be asking questions to the Finance Minister? Is that the first thing to do? Listen carefully, the Finance Minister is actually pleading with me to allow him to get up and respond to him but I'm saying that, that cannot be accepted as a practice of this house. Otherwise, we will descend to chaos and lawlessness.

And you, the Minority Leader, you cannot lead in allowing this house to descend into chaos and lawlessness. Please, let's stop that. Let's get serious as a house. We have rules. If we decide that we're not going to go according to our rule, do you know what is going to happen to you?

Afenyo-Markin denies 'we will make country ungovernable' claim

Your very right as a minority leader to say what you want to say is because there are rules that say that you should say whatever you want to say. But the same rules indicate when you should say it. Please, you are the minority leader. That is not how we behave in this house.

You were a majority leader. Is that what your colleagues were doing to you? Please, let's stop that. You just get up and whatever you want to say, you just say. That you are who? That you are who? Please. Mr Speaker, we cannot allow that.

MAG/EB

'Apologise for benefitting from insults while in opposition' - Maurice Ampaw to President Mahama