- Speaker of Parliament expels MP Afriyie for "rude" comments
- Incident occurs during Supreme Court judge nominations discussion
- Majority Chief Whip apologizes for Afriyie's behavior
The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, expelled the Member of Parliament (MP) for Sefwi Wiawso, Kwaku Afriyie, from the chamber on Monday. This action was taken after the MP made comments that the Speaker considered rude and contemptuous.
During the proceedings, Speaker Bagbin announced the nomination of new judges to the Supreme Court and urged members to consider the expectations of Ghanaians when deciding on the nominations. However, Kwaku Afriyie expressed dissatisfaction with the Speaker’s remarks, calling them prejudicial.
The exchange between the Speaker and the MP escalated, resulting in the Speaker ordering the MP’s removal from the chamber. “Marshal, take him out of the House. I will not entertain such disrespect. It lies in my mouth,” Speaker Bagbin said.
Following the incident, Majority Chief Whip Frank Annoh-Dompreh apologized on behalf of the caucus. “Speaker, we acknowledge the wisdom you have guided us, and how you have navigated us to this point. What happened a moment ago was unfortunate. So, I want to, on behalf of the entire caucus and my colleagues, render my apologies to you and your office. We are very sorry, we apologize sincerely for what happened,” he said.
The legislator is believed to have made additional comments off the record.
