“The Fact That I’m Grilling You Does Not Mean You Deny Me of Protocol-Allocation”—Afenyo-Markin to Defence Minister Designate

The minority leader in Parliament, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has called on defence minister-designate Dr. Edward Omane Boamah not to withhold any “protocol allocation” in retaliation for the latter’s vetting.

Afenyo-Markin’s remarks came after a heated exchange on Tuesday, January 28, during an Appointments Committee session, where the issue of the Ghana International School (GIS) land scandal became the focal point.

Dr. Boamah had previously spoken out against what he described as the activities of “land looters” under the current New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration, following an attempted land grab at GIS in Cantonments, Accra. The attempted land grab was foiled by the school’s security and local police.

The minority leader, during the vetting session, pressed Dr. Boamah for clarification on the comments, arguing that the initial response had not fully addressed the issue.

This led to a tense exchange as Dr. Boamah reiterated that he believed the matter had been resolved and suggested that the incident could have involved an investor acting without government approval rather than being directly linked to the NPP.

“I said, I don’t believe that kind of situation is the case, and I promise here that I will investigate it as a citizen of Ghana to get to the bottom of it. So I felt we had settled this matter about GIS land,” Dr. Boamah explained.

Despite the minister-designate’s assertions, Afenyo-Markin remained unconvinced, arguing that a further investigation was necessary. As the tension escalated, Dr. Boamah questioned whether Afenyo-Markin was shifting focus away from the GIS land issue.

The minority leader, responding in kind, sharply retorted, “Dr., if you want to do politics with me, then don’t get irritated when we start the politics.”

To ease the tension, Afenyo-Markin lightened the moment by reminding Dr. Boamah of the tradition of “protocol allocations.” He stated, “Let me remind you on a lighter note that the fact that I’m grilling you does not mean that when you get there [to the Ministry of Defence] and you are supposed to give protocol allocation, you deny me.”

The minority leader further alleged that members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) had historically benefitted from protocol allocations more than their NPP counterparts. “When I was a Defence Committee member, your ranking—your members benefitted. I am saying it on authority; they did, and they even had more than we, the NPP members,” he claimed.

The issue of protocol allocations has been a subject of political controversy in Ghana in recent years. In August 2024, Interior Minister Henry Quartey found himself embroiled in similar allegations when NDC National Chairman Johnson Asiedu Nketia accused him of attempting to bribe opposition MPs with recruitment slots in the security services.

The allegations arose after Quartey allegedly offered recruitment opportunities to NDC MPs to sway their opposition to the recruitment of 10,000 party foot soldiers into the police force.

Minister Quartey categorically denied the accusations, insisting that he had merely informed his colleagues about open recruitment portals and encouraged MPs to notify their constituents. “Let me say categorically that I did not bribe any member of Parliament,” he stated firmly. “MPs have got constituents who may have also bought forms. Is it wrong to say that if they have bought forms, they should go through the same process? I am not saying, Bring me five (of them) so I can put them there.”

Although Mr. Quartey refuted the bribery allegations, he clarified that his comments had been meant to raise awareness about the recruitment process and reaffirmed the neutrality of the security services.

He opted not to pursue legal action over the allegations, stating, “I am not going to waste my time and energy going to court over this. I am not going to do that, but I just want to make it clear that there was no attempt to bribe any MP, and I don’t have a list of 10,000 on my desk.”

GOT A STORY?

Contact/WhatsApp: +233243201960 or Email: manuelnkansah33@gmail.com