Deputy Minority Leader Rejects ECOWAS Parliament Nomination, Citing Irregularities

ACCRA, GHANA – Ghana’s Deputy Minority Leader in Parliament, Patricia Appiagyei, has publicly rejected her nomination to the country’s reconstituted delegation to the ECOWAS Parliament, citing procedural impropriety and concerns over internal party divisions. The move comes after Parliament adopted a new list of delegates, which included her name as a replacement for the current Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo Markin.

In a strongly worded memo addressed to the Speaker of Parliament on Tuesday, July 22, 2025, Ms. Appiagyei stated she was “neither consulted nor did I give my consent” to be considered for the role. She expressed concern that the development appeared to be a “calculated effort to cause division” between herself and Mr. Afenyo Markin, who currently serves as a Deputy Speaker in the ECOWAS Parliament. Ms. Appiagyei highlighted that there had been an understanding that the Minority Leader would remain on the delegation, and found it “deeply troubling that a contrary nomination was advanced on the floor without consultation and even more so that proposal was made by the Majority Leader.”

Ms. Appiagyei further argued that the action contravenes the legal and institutional framework governing the ECOWAS Parliament. She asserted that once sworn in, a member’s tenure runs for four years, and a sitting member cannot be removed unless they voluntarily resign, are removed from office, appointed to the Executive or as a Judge, or otherwise become ineligible. As Mr. Afenyo Markin has not vacated his seat or been disqualified, she contended that any attempt to replace him not only breaches internal parliamentary practice but also violates ECOWAS statutes and risks rejection by the ECOWAS Parliament itself. While acknowledging the importance of enhancing women’s representation in regional bodies, Ms. Appiagyei cautioned that such efforts “must be pursued within the bounds of due process, consultation, and internal consensus,” warning that using gender parity as a “pretext for unilateral and procedurally irregular decisions undermines both the objective and the institutional harmony we seek to preserve.”