Deputy Minority Leader, Hon. Patricia Appiagyei, has strongly objected to her inclusion in Ghana’s newly reconstituted delegation to the ECOWAS Parliament, citing a lack of consultation, breach of protocol, and political impropriety in a memo addressed to the Speaker of Parliament dated 22nd July 2025.
In the document, which has since been acknowledged by the Office of the Minority Leader, Hon. Appiagyei expressed deep concern over what she described as a “calculated effort” to replace the current Minority Leader, Hon. Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, without his consent or due process.
She maintained that she was neither consulted nor informed about her nomination to the delegation, an act she considers both procedurally flawed and legally untenable. Appiagyei highlighted that there was an understanding among leadership that the Minority Leader would continue to represent the group in the ECOWAS Parliament and that the abrupt change breached both internal agreements and ECOWAS statutes.
“The Minority Leader is a duly designated member with an unexpired term,” she wrote, emphasizing that any attempt to remove him from that position without cause or consensus is not only irregular but politically regrettable.
She further warned that such actions, purportedly in the name of enhancing gender representation, should not be used as a pretext for “unilateral and procedurally irregular decisions” that could sow discord within leadership structures.
Citing ECOWAS rules, Appiagyei pointed out that once a member is sworn into the ECOWAS Parliament, their tenure is fixed, and removal can only occur under specific conditions such as resignation, disqualification, or elevation to executive or judicial office—none of which apply to Afenyo-Markin.
In her concluding remarks, Hon. Appiagyei firmly refused the nomination, urged the House to rescind the decision, and requested that the Clerk of Parliament refrain from transmitting any resolution listing her as part of the delegation.
The Deputy Minority Leader reiterated her support for the original nominees from the Minority Caucus to the ECOWAS Parliament—Hon. Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, Hon. Kwame Anyimadu Antwi, and Hon. Bryan Acheampong—and called for the matter to be resolved in a way that preserves the unity and integrity of Ghana’s legislative body.
