By Daniel Bampoe
Minority Leader and Member of Parliament for Effutu, Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, has launched a blazing assessment of the Mahama administration, declaring that Ghana is “not in safe hands” under the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government and accusing it of executive incompetence, majority tyranny in Parliament, and undermining the country’s democratic institutions.
Delivering his closing remarks as Parliament adjourned indefinitely at the end of the Second Meeting of the Second Session of the Ninth Parliament on Friday, July 31, 2026, Afenyo-Markin used the occasion to present what he described as a comprehensive account of the government’s performance over the past parliamentary session.
According to him, the nation’s democratic foundations are under serious threat as public confidence continues to decline due to what he called poor governance, selective justice, broken promises and increasing attacks on constitutional freedoms.
Tribute to Statesmen and Traditional Leadership
Before launching into his critique, the Minority Leader paid tribute to the late diplomat and former Member of Parliament for Anlo, James Victor Gbeho, describing him as a distinguished Ghanaian who served the country with dignity both at the United Nations and across the West African sub-region.
He also extended condolences to the people of Dagbon following the passing of the Ya Na Abukari Mahama II, noting that the installation of a Regent demonstrated the enduring strength of the traditional institutions.
He described the mourning period as a national moment that transcends politics.
Minority Demands Accountability Over June Flood Disaster
Turning to governance, Afenyo-Markin revisited the devastating floods and fire disaster of June 29, which, according to figures from the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), claimed at least 34 lives while six others remain missing.
He argued that the tragedy exposed serious failures in disaster preparedness despite the existence of a government task force established before the rainy season.
The Minority Leader questioned why, weeks after the disaster, no government official had accepted responsibility or resigned.
He demanded that every member of the government’s flood preparedness task force be summoned before Parliament to explain what preventive measures were undertaken before the disaster struck.
According to him, Parliament owes bereaved families answers rather than silence.
Calls for Parliamentary Probe Into Helicopter Crash and Military Recruitment Deaths
The Minority Leader further broadened his accountability demands to include the fatal state helicopter crash that claimed the lives of senior government officials and military personnel, as well as the deaths of at least six young women during a Ghana Armed Forces recruitment exercise.
He criticised government for failing to publicly accept responsibility for any of the tragedies.
He therefore called for full parliamentary investigations into all three incidents, insisting that internal reports and official statements would not suffice.
Finance Minister Challenged Over Mid-Year Budget Figures
On the economy, Afenyo-Markin accused the Finance Minister of presenting inconsistent figures during the 2026 Mid-Year Budget Review.
He pointed to conflicting inflation figures contained in the budget presentation, where June inflation was variously stated as 5.7 percent and 5.3 percent.
The Minority Leader said the inconsistencies were not limited to inflation, citing observations made by Dr. Adu Owusu Sarkodie, Executive Director of the Centre for Policy Scrutiny, who reportedly identified conflicting expenditure and capital spending figures appearing on different pages of the same budget document.
According to Afenyo-Markin, a national budget represents a promise to the people and cannot contain contradictory figures.
He consequently demanded that the Finance Minister return to Parliament to clarify the discrepancies and present a single, consistent set of fiscal data.
Government Accused of Abandoning Campaign Promises
The Minority Leader also accused the Mahama administration of abandoning many of the flagship promises on which it campaigned in the 2024 general elections.
Among the programmes he claimed have either stalled or failed are the “Akoko Nkitinkiti” poultry initiative, the Women’s Bank, the 24-hour economy policy, One Job Three Shifts, cost-free first-year university education, employment opportunities for trained nurses and teachers, procurement reforms, and efforts to combat illegal mining.
He argued that Ghanaians voted for implementation rather than political slogans and said the government has failed to deliver meaningful results.
Strong Opposition to Tribunal Bill
A significant portion of the Minority Leader’s address focused on Parliament’s passage of the Regional and District Tribunals Bill.
Although he acknowledged that the Constitution recognises tribunals under Articles 125, 142 and 143, he argued that the Constitutional Review Committee chaired by Professor Henry Kwasi Prempeh had recommended abolishing the tribunal system in favour of strengthening the ordinary courts.
He criticised the NDC Majority for passing the legislation despite those recommendations and recalled that the Minority staged a walkout rather than participate in its passage.
Afenyo-Markin warned that the historical experience with public tribunals in the 1980s remains a painful reminder of how such institutions can be abused.
Quoting Professor Kwesi Yankah’s description of the Bill as “a revolutionary monster nicely cloaked in fugu democracy,” he warned that allowing individuals without formal legal training to adjudicate serious criminal matters could weaken the administration of justice.
He therefore appealed to President John Dramani Mahama not to assent to the Bill but instead return it to Parliament for reconsideration.
Minority Alleges Political Harassment
The Effutu MP further accused the government of increasingly using state investigative and prosecutorial institutions to intimidate members of the opposition.
According to him, several New Patriotic Party officials and Minority MPs have become targets of politically motivated investigations simply because they hold views different from those of the government.
He argued that the democracy depends on the ability of citizens and opposition parties to criticise government without fear of persecution.
Bail Conditions Described As Punitive
Afenyo-Markin also criticised what he called the abuse of Ghana’s bail system.
He argued that several opposition figures have effectively been punished before trial through bail conditions that are impossible for ordinary citizens to satisfy.
According to him, bail exists to guarantee attendance in court and not to punish accused persons before conviction.
He therefore called for reforms to prevent excessive bail conditions from being used as instruments of punishment.
Minority Pushes To Protect Free Speech
The Minority Leader also renewed calls for Parliament to amend Sections 207 and 208 of the Criminal Offences Act, which criminalise insults and the publication of false news.
He warned that recent developments suggest an attempt to revive the criminal libel regime abolished during former President John Agyekum Kufuor’s administration.
While acknowledging that irresponsible speech should not be encouraged, he maintained that no Ghanaian should face imprisonment merely for criticising political leaders or making factual errors.
Questions Raised Over Government’s “Reset” Agenda
Afenyo-Markin further argued that the government’s much-publicised “Reset Agenda” has instead resulted in selective justice.
He claimed investigations against some NDC officials have either been abandoned or quietly discontinued, while prosecutions against members of the NPP have intensified.
He questioned the acquittal of former MASLOC Chief Executive Sedinam Tamakloe and criticised the Attorney General’s handling of related legal proceedings.
Double Standards in Galamsey Fight
The Minority Leader also accused the government of applying double standards in the fight against illegal mining.
He recalled President Mahama’s earlier admission that some supporters of the NDC are involved in galamsey activities but questioned why no investigations had reportedly followed those remarks.
By contrast, he alleged that the Attorney General had moved swiftly against NPP Ashanti Regional Chairman Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi.
According to him, justice must be applied equally regardless of political affiliation.
Judiciary Commended and Criticised
While commending the Supreme Court for upholding the constitutionality of the Office of the Special Prosecutor, Afenyo-Markin expressed concern over what he described as selective judicial practices.
He questioned reports that the computerised case allocation system had been suspended in favour of assigning specific judges to hear cases involving NPP members and criticised what he described as the use of special court arrangements during the judicial vacation.
OMOV Ruling Welcomed
Touching briefly on the Supreme Court’s ruling on the One Member One Vote (OMOV) system for party primaries, Afenyo-Markin indicated that the NPP had already resolved during its Legon conference to gradually expand its delegate base and would accelerate implementation of those reforms.
Minority Vows Continued Oversight
Concluding his address, the Minority Leader thanked Parliament’s leadership, Members of Parliament, parliamentary staff and the media for their work during the session.
He maintained that the Minority had consistently defended free speech, opposed selective justice, demanded accountability over national tragedies, challenged the Tribunal Bill, and spoken against illegal mining and judicial bias.
Afenyo-Markin insisted that the Mahama administration has failed to fulfil its promises to Ghanaians and warned that no government remains beyond accountability.
“As Parliament rises sine die,” he declared, “the Minority will return to continue holding government acountable until every unanswered question is addressed and every promise made to Ghanaians is honoured.”
