Dr. Kwaku Afriyie, the Member of Parliament for Sefwi-Wiawso, has publicly rejected the apology issued on his behalf by the Majority Chief Whip, Frank Annoh-Dompreh, following his expulsion from Parliament by Speaker Alban Bagbin.
The incident occurred during a heated discussion on President Akufo-Addo’s nomination of two justices to the Supreme Court. Speaker Bagbin urged Parliament to consider the broader implications of these appointments when the Appointments Committee presented its report. Dr. Afriyie contested the Speaker’s remarks, arguing that it was beyond Bagbin’s authority to make such comments.
In response to Dr. Afriyie’s disagreement, Speaker Bagbin ordered his removal from the House, characterizing his comments as “rude” and “disrespectful.” Subsequently, the Majority Chief Whip, Frank Annoh-Dompreh, issued an apology to the Speaker on behalf of the caucus.
However, in an interview with Umaru Sanda Amadu on Eyewitness News, Dr. Afriyie firmly denied any wrongdoing and stated that he had not authorized Annoh-Dompreh to apologize on his behalf.
“He apologized on my behalf? Well, he doesn’t have my permission to do that and this one you can put on record. We’ll take it to everywhere. I haven’t done any wrong, why should I apologize?” Dr. Afriyie asserted. “So far I haven’t done anything wrong. I haven’t insulted the speaker, I haven’t disrespected him, what happened where’s the disrespect?”
Dr. Afriyie’s rejection of the apology highlights ongoing tensions within the parliamentary proceedings, emphasizing his stance that his comments were neither insulting nor disrespectful, and thus did not merit an apology.
The situation underscores the complexities of parliamentary decorum and the challenges of maintaining harmony within the legislative body.
