By Minority Leader and Member of Parliament for Effutu, Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin has outlined the steps taken by parliamentary leadership following Dr Mahamudu Bawumia’s election as flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), urging party members to maintain focus on unity and forward planning.
Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday, Mr Afenyo-Markin said: “Saturday after the elections, I came to Accra and did what I had to do. Sunday, I got in touch with the flagbearer and we agreed on a plan to meet with him at a caucus.”
He added that he convened a leadership meeting on Monday afternoon, with all parliamentary colleagues present at 1pm. Prior to the meeting, he met the flagbearer face-to-face to brief him on activities to date.
“We have had a year without a leader properly,” he explained, noting that he had been managing parliamentary affairs in consultation with the party secretariat and party secretary.
Describing his discussion with Dr Bawumia as “a one-on-one hearty chat,” Afenyo-Markin said the flagbearer had expected the caucus meeting on Tuesday morning.
“I conveyed the meeting on Tuesday morning and our colleagues were present. We agreed that from there we were going straight to the flagbearer’s residence,” he said.
He also detailed logistical steps taken to ensure parliamentary procedure was observed, including attending a business meeting with the Chief Whip and obtaining permission from the Leader of the House, Mahama Ayariga, to extend sitting times to accommodate the caucus.
Afenyo-Markin used the platform (Newsfile) to appeal for calm and unity within the party, expressing concern over what he described as a shift in focus away from the successful flagbearer election.
“I would want to beg those who are having discussions on the programme,” he said. “We have elected a flagbearer, the party has a leader. It appears that people have taken the shine out of the beautiful election we had. Nobody is even talking about the Bawumia victory, and people are suddenly moving away from the unity that we are all calling for — the unity that will take us to 2028,” he said.
