The Minority Leader, Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, has accused the Mahama administration of overseeing “failure, scandal, and deepening suffering” in the nation.
The break time was “overshadowed by the return of dumsor and growing anxieties of many Ghanaians,” according to Deputy Minority Leader Madam Patricia Appiagyei, who gave a welcome speech on Thursday on the floor of Parliament on behalf of the Minority Leader.
She denounced as “an assault on democracy” the detention of members and supporters of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for allegedly posting on social media about the return of load-shedding.
In response to a Facebook post titled “Dumsor is back,” Madam Appiagyei cited the purported detention of a party organiser by masked Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and BNI personnel.
She stated, “Mr. Speaker, Dumsor is back under a government that campaigned loudly on ending it,” adding that the expenses were being borne by companies, hospitals, and students.
The NPP MP for Asokwa, Madam Appiagyei, urged the Energy Minister to offer a “credible, costed, time-bound plan” to put an end to load shedding.
In reference to the Bank of Ghana’s (BoG) 2025 audited statements, the Deputy Minority Leader stated that “the central bank recorded a combined loss of GH34.9 billion, pushing its negative equity to GH93.82 billion.”
“Mr. Speaker, GH¢9.6 billion of reported income came from selling gold reserves,” she stated.
She questioned, however, why the BoG was losing money when GH¢14.61 billion was purportedly handed to commercial banks as interest.
“Mr. Speaker, GH¢93.82 billion in negative equity at the institution that issues our currency is not a footnote. It is a crisis,” she said, calling on the Finance and Economy Committees to have a joint hearing with the governor in attendance.
Regarding the Damang Mine lease, Madam Appiagyei contested its award to Engineers and Planners Company Limited, which is owned by Mr. Ibrahim Mahama, the brother of President John Dramani Maham.
The $600 million to $1 billion process, according to her, is “a questionable transaction dressed in the language of due process.”
The Asokwa MP acknowledged the President’s purported reported recusal from the Cabinet meeting, but contended that the agreement was purportedly carried out by presidential appointees, making it “delegation, not recusal.”
As a result, she demanded a thorough parliamentary investigation, summoning the chief executive officer of the Minerals Commission and the minister of land and natural resources to provide bid documents and beneficial ownership information.
The detention of Mr. Ohene Kwame Frimpong, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) MP for Asante Akyem North in the Netherlands, xenophobic attacks on Ghanaians in South Africa, the murder of eight Ghanaian tomato traders in Burkina Faso, and threats to Ghanaians in the Gulf amid Iran-Israel hostilities were all mentioned by Madam Appiagyei in a statement on foreign affairs and citizen safety.
She said that persistent pressure from the Minority, including the Minority Leader’s intervention at the ECOWAS Parliament, was the only reason the Foreign Affairs Ministry took action.
She called for an early warning system for Ghanaians living overseas, a parliamentary-approved reintegration plan for returnees, and an African Union (AU) coalition approach.
Madam Appiagyei called Ghana’s hosting of the 24th African Senior Athletics Championships in May “an international embarrassment” for the impending World Cup, pointing to a lack of blankets, food shortages, timing system malfunctions and subpar transportation.
She called for a documented World Cup preparation strategy and a full House hearing.
Eight immediate demands were listed by the Deputy Minority Leader, including hearings on the BoG and athletics failings, an investigation into the Damang Mine transaction, the release of individuals arrested for political expression, and briefings on Ghanaians’ safety overseas.
“Parliament stands at the centre of the nation’s life. When the Executive fails, Parliament must speak. When power is abused, it remains our constitutional duty to say so, clearly, firmly, and without apology,” she stated.
The first Sitting of the Second Meeting of the Second Session of the Ninth Parliament took place on Thursday.
On Friday, March 27, 2026, the House was adjourned sine die for the Easter holiday.
Source: newsthemegh.com