Minority Clerk Saga: Afenyo-Markin allowed his emotions override leadership

Former Member of Parliament for Tamale Central, Inusah Fuseini, has strongly criticised the Minority Leader, Alexander Kwamina Afenyo-Markin, over his harsh remarks directed at a Clerk of the Appointments Committee.

His reaction follows a press conference led by Afenyo-Markin on February 3, 2025, during which the Minority called for the clerk’s removal, accusing her of partisan conduct. Expressing his disappointment, Fuseini stated that Afenyo-Markin’s approach lacked the leadership and maturity expected of him.

He argued that the Minority Leader should have utilised the appropriate channels to address his concerns rather than resorting to public attacks. According to him, Afenyo-Markin acted impulsively instead of following established procedures.

“Afenyo-Markin allowed his emotions to overcome him. There are known procedures for parliament to deal with such situations. As a leader of the House, you should explore the possibility of amicably resolving an issue rather than letting your emotions take over. It doesn’t show leadership and maturity. You did that with impunity and in fact, I was disappointed,” he said.

Fuseini also provided insight into the rules governing parliamentary staff, stressing that there were formal mechanisms Afenyo-Markin should have followed to address any concerns about the clerk’s conduct. He pointed out that the accused clerk should have been referred to her superiors, who were responsible for handling such matters.

Condemning the attacks on the clerk by the Minority, both in the media and during the vetting process, he insisted that due process should have been followed.

“If you think that the Clerk of Parliament is behaving in a manifestly biased way towards your side, there are procedures to deal with that in parliament. The Clerk of Parliament is the head of the Parliamentary Service and the clerk to the committee is a member of the Parliamentary Service.

“The Parliamentary Service has rules and regulations regarding how officers behave so why will you boil over and talk to an adult and a staff as if she didn’t matter,” he added.

Fuseini’s remarks come in the wake of calls from the Minority Caucus in Parliament demanding the immediate removal of the Appointments Committee clerk, citing concerns over her professionalism in executing her duties.