Claim: Afenyo-Markin was replaced with Patricia Appiagyei at ECOWAS Parliament without consulting the Minority
Source: Awal Mohammed, NPP communication team member
Verdict: False
Researched by Nusrat Essah
A member of the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) National Communications Team, Awal Mohammed, claimed no consultation was held between the leadership in Parliament before the changes to Ghana’s ECOWAS Parliament representatives were made.
Awal spoke on JoyNews’ AM show on December 1, 2025, regarding the replacement of the Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, from the list of Ghana’s representatives to the ECOWAS parliament.
“There was no resolution. On the 22nd of July, we were in this country. You even did that interview. When they said they had changed him and had replaced him with Patricia, and they did that unanimously without consulting the Minority. It was never debated in the chamber,” he claimed.
RelatedNews
This report seeks to verify whether Parliament debated and approved the reconstitution of Ghana’s ECOWAS parliamentary delegation.
Fact-Check
According to the Votes and Proceedings of Parliament, “Under article 5 of the Protocol relating to the Community Parliament of ECOWAS, a total of eight (8) seats have been allotted to the Parliament of Ghana out of a total of one hundred and fifteen (115) seats for the entire fifteen (15) Member ECOWAS Community.”
GhanaFact reviewed the official parliamentary proceedings of July 22, 2025, and found that the reconstitution of Ghana’s delegation to the ECOWAS Parliament was formally presented, debated, and a resolution was passed on the same day on the floor of Parliament.
The records show that a motion was moved by the Majority Leader, Mahama Ayariga, and seconded by the Minority Chief Whip, Frank Annoh-Dompreh, to allow the motion to be debated the same day, notwithstanding the Standing Orders, which the House agreed to.
Subsequently, the House debated and adopted the Report of Leadership on the composition of Ghana’s membership to the ECOWAS Parliament. The resolution clearly reconstituted Ghana’s delegation, including Patricia Appiagyei, the deputy minority leader, thereby effecting the replacement of Afenyo-Markin. (Watch from 1:17:20 to 2:15:40)
The above evidence shows that there were resolutions approving the reconstitution of Ghana’s ECOWAS parliamentary delegation. The matter was debated and formally resolved on July 22, 2025.
Verdict
Therefore, the claim is False.
