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Deputy Minority Leader Patricia Appiagyei has rejected her nomination to Ghana’s reconstituted delegation to the ECOWAS Parliament, describing the process as procedurally flawed, politically disruptive, and lacking in transparency.
In a strongly-worded letter to the Speaker of Parliament on Monday, July 22, 2025, Appiagyei expressed shock and displeasure over her proposed replacement of Minority Leader Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, who she insisted is still serving a valid and active term as a Deputy Speaker in the regional parliament.
“I was neither consulted nor did I give my consent to be considered as a replacement for the Minority Leader,” she stated. “At no point have I expressed any intention to replace my leader.”
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Her protest follows Parliament’s earlier approval of a reshuffled ECOWAS delegation, which controversially named her as a replacement for Afenyo-Markin. The changes also saw Deputy Majority Leader George Kweku Ricketts-Hagan named as Ghana’s new Third Deputy Speaker in the ECOWAS Parliament.
Appiagyei challenged the legality of Afenyo-Markin’s removal, citing ECOWAS regulations that stipulate a fixed four-year term for members unless disqualified, appointed to executive office, or they resign voluntarily.
“Any attempt to replace him… violates ECOWAS statutes,” she warned, stressing that such moves risk rejection by the ECOWAS Parliament and undermine Ghana’s credibility in the regional bloc.
The Deputy Minority Leader suggested that the development appears to be a deliberate attempt to create discord between herself and her caucus leader, warning that the Majority side had acted without due process.
“The action to propose me for the delegation was taken in my absence and without the involvement of the Minority Leader,” she noted. “It was unilaterally introduced by the Majority Leader.”
While reiterating her support for gender inclusion in political representation, Appiagyei warned that such ideals must not be manipulated for “arbitrary political maneuvering.”
“True inclusion must be built on transparent dialogue and not imposed at the expense of established norms.”
She concluded by formally declining the nomination and called on the Speaker and Clerk of Parliament not to forward her name to the ECOWAS Parliament. She also urged the House to maintain the original Minority Caucus nominees: Afenyo-Markin, Kwame Anyimadu Antwi, and Bryan Acheampong.
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