Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo–Markin has vowed that Damongo MP Samuel Abu Jinapor will not be silenced following his removal from Parliament, insisting that Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa must be prepared to face scrutiny from the opposition.
Addressing the media on Wednesday, November 4, Mr Afenyo-Markin said the Minority would continue to hold the government and its appointees accountable, regardless of the pressure it faced.
He argued that Mr Ablakwa, who was vocal in demanding accountability from the previous government while in opposition, should not expect to be shielded from similar scrutiny in office.
“Honourable Jinapor shall not be silenced. The caucus shall not be silenced. We shall hold the government and its functionaries accountable as Ghanaians have entrusted us to do,” he said.
He further challenged the Foreign Affairs Minister to uphold the principles he championed while in opposition, stressing that his current position should not place him beyond public scrutiny.
The Minority Leader’s comments follow Tuesday’s removal of Mr Abu Jinapor from the parliamentary chamber by a Parliamentary Marshal after he refused to withdraw an allegation against Mr Ablakwa.
Mr Afenyo-Markin reaffirmed the caucus’s commitment to its oversight responsibilities, insisting that intimidation and pressure would not deter its members from speaking on behalf of Ghanaians.
“Whatever pressure comes our way, we shall return to our duty with steady hearts, with clear voices, with unbroken resolve,” he said.
Describing the Minority as small in numbers but strong in conviction, he declared: “This is the mighty Minority. We are few but firm in conviction. This is who we are.”
Story by Freedom Etsey Lavoe
