Kwaku Afriyie: MP disputes apology issued on his behalf following Parliamentary expulsion
Dr. Kwaku Afriyie, Member of Parliament for Sefwi-Wiawso, has rejected an apology issued on his behalf by Majority Chief Whip Frank Annoh-Dompreh after his removal from Parliament by Speaker Alban Bagbin on Monday.
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The expulsion occurred during a session where it was announced that President Akufo-Addo has nominated two justices to the Supreme Court.
Speaker Bagbin urged the House to consider the full complement of the Supreme Court during the Appointments Committee's review.
Dr. Afriyie challenged the Speaker's comment and said it was beyond Bagbin's jurisdiction to comment on the substance.
This disagreement led to Speaker Bagbin expelling Dr. Afriyie, labeling his comment as “rude” and “disrespectful.” Annoh-Dompreh subsequently apologized to the Speaker on behalf of the caucus.
However, in an interview on Citi FM on Monday and on Okay FM on Tuesday morning, Dr. Afriyie denied authorising the apology and maintained he had not been disrespectful.
“He apologised 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 apologise?
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“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?”
The session saw Speaker Bagbin announce the nominations of Professor Richard Frimpong Oppong, a legal academic, and Justice Sophia Rosetta Bernasko Essah, a Court of Appeal justice, to the Supreme Court. These nominations follow the impending retirements of Justices Nii Ashie Kotey and Mariama Owusu.
The nominations were recommended by Chief Justice Gertrude Araba Essaba Torkornu, following consultations with the Judicial Council and the Council of State. The Speaker has referred the nominations to the Appointments Committee for consideration.
During the session, Speaker Bagbin overheard a comment from Dr. Afriyie and described it as disrespectful. “This is completely rude. I can send you out of the House now. It lies in my authority to do so,” Bagbin said before ordering the Marshal to escort Dr. Afriyie out.
Dr. Afriyie, escorted by the Marshal, bowed to the chair before leaving. Annoh-Dompreh then issued an apology, acknowledging the Speaker's leadership and expressing regret over the incident.
“We want to, for and on behalf of the entire caucus and my colleague, render an unqualified apology to you and your office,” Annoh-Dompreh said.
Dr Afriyie;s position
In the separate radio interviews monitored by Dr Afriyie, he said he respects the Speaker but does not agree that expressing his opposition to a view expressed by the Speaker was rude and respectfully.
He insisted he had actually walked to the Majority Chief Whip, Frank Annoh Dompreh when the Speaker made his comment to draw his attention to react to what the Speaker was saying, since in his view, the Speaker was speaking on the substance of an issue which was yet to come up in Parliament and therefore he viewed the comment as prejudicial.
He said the Speaker however gave him the floor when he claimed he eavesdropped and heard him.
In Dr Afriyie's view, this was not the first time that the Speaker was expressing a view on the substance of a matter when actual fact, the Speaker was not a member of the House, and was only to preside over the House.
He said that was why he felt the need to raise the issue and draw attention to the fact that, the Speaker was not supposed to direct the House, "like school boys" on how to handle a matter.