Leader of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Caucus in Parliament, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has asserted that the NPP will not allow the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to create any form of lawlessness in Ghana.
Addressing the press this morning, Hon Afenyo-Markin emphasized that the NPP’s tradition is rooted in lawfulness, with a history of utilizing the courts to rectify grievances.
“Our tradition is a law-abiding tradition. Our forefathers always use the Court to correct the wrongs. Since 1992, our leaders have consistently relied on civil advocacy and the Court to ensure that we achieve the peace we enjoy today,” he stated.
He pointed out that many outdated electoral practices, such as thumbprint ID cards and opaque ballot boxes, have been eradicated due to NPP initiatives, leading to a more transparent electoral system.
“On top of my head, I can recall the era where we used thumbprint ID cards and opaque ballot boxes. All these are things of the past today because of the NPP. Today we have a very transparent electoral system because of the advocacy of our forebearers,” he noted.
Hon Afenyo-Markin made it clear that the NPP will not provide the NDC with an opportunity to incite confusion, warning that such actions could disrupt democracy and harm the nation. “The country is hereby informed that we will not give that lawless platform that the NDC is seeking. We will not give them that platform. We will not give them that theatre that they aggressively seek. It will disrupt our democracy and destroy the nation,” he added.
He expressed concern for innocent Ghanaians who are simply trying to go about their daily lives, emphasizing that politics should be conducted in a civil manner.
“We know that there are innocent people out there; innocent Ghanaians going about their business, innocent Ghanaians in academia, innocent Ghanaians who are struggling to get three square meals on the table for their families. We care about them. We understand that there is politics but we must do it in a civil manner,” Hon Afenyo-Markin emphasized.
Regarding recent developments in Parliament, he clarified that the NPP believes it is most appropriate to yield and wait for the Speaker’s response to a ruling from the Supreme Court, which was directed at Parliament as a whole rather than individual Members of Parliament (MPs).
“Yesterday, the verdict of the Supreme Court served Parliament through the legal directorate. The director of the Legal department received a ruling of the Court so, in other words, Mr. Speaker is on constructive notice,” he stated.
Hon Afenyo-Markin also clarified that when disagreements arose following the Speaker’s declaration regarding vacant seats in Parliament, the NPP did not cause any commotion; instead, they chose to leave quietly.
“When the Speaker made his pronouncement and the Majority Caucus disagreed with Mr. Speaker, we didn’t cause commotion here; we left quietly and told Mr. Speaker that the right place to express those grievances will be at the Court so we are expecting our brothers and sisters on the NDC side to do the needful,” he highlighted.
