Deputy Minority Leader Patricia Appiagyei has formally declined her nomination to Ghana’s delegation to the ECOWAS Parliament, calling the process flawed, politically divisive, and inconsistent with both domestic and regional protocols.
In a strongly worded letter to the Speaker of Parliament on Monday, Madam Appiagyei rejected her appointment as a replacement for Minority Leader Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, who currently serves as a Deputy Speaker in the ECOWAS Parliament. She said she was neither consulted nor had she consented to the nomination.
“At no point have I expressed any intention to replace my Leader,” Appiagyei wrote. “This development appears to be a calculated effort to create unnecessary tension between myself and the Minority Leader.”
Her rejection comes hours after Parliament approved a reconstitution of Ghana’s ECOWAS delegation, controversially replacing Afenyo-Markin with Appiagyei. The reshuffle also included the nomination of Deputy Majority Leader George Kweku Ricketts-Hagan to assume Afenyo-Markin’s regional Deputy Speaker role.
Madam Appiagyei, however, contends that Afenyo-Markin’s removal is both procedurally and legally questionable. Citing ECOWAS parliamentary statutes, she emphasized that regional members are appointed for fixed four-year terms and may only be removed under specific conditions—such as resignation, appointment to executive office, or disqualification—none of which, she argues, apply in this case.
“Any attempt to replace him outside of these grounds violates ECOWAS rules,” she wrote, warning that such a move risks rejection by the ECOWAS Parliament itself.
She also criticized the Majority Caucus for failing to consult with either her or Afenyo-Markin prior to advancing the proposal, describing the move as an imposition that undermines parliamentary tradition and collaborative governance. “This action was initiated in our absence,” Appiagyei stated. “The proposal was made unilaterally by the Majority Leader.”
While acknowledging the importance of increasing gender representation in regional institutions, Madam Appiagyei cautioned against using inclusivity as a cover for political maneuvering. “True inclusion must be built on transparent dialogue and mutual respect—not imposed at the expense of established norms,” she added.
She concluded her letter by urging the Speaker and Clerk of Parliament not to transmit her name to ECOWAS and requested that the original list of Minority nominees—Afenyo-Markin, Kwame Anyimadu-Antwi, and Bryan Acheampong—be retained
