Parliament’s proceedings were disrupted on Wednesday after members of the Minority Caucus staged a walkout following a disagreement with the First Deputy Speaker, Bernard Ahiafor, over the handling of supplementary questions during Ministerial proceedings.
The Minority accused the First Deputy Speaker of limiting their ability to scrutinise government policies and hold Ministers accountable, describing his rulings as a pattern that undermined parliamentary oversight.
The incident occurred during proceedings when Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin sought answers from the Communications Minister on the government’s planned re-registration of SIM cards.
After receiving a response from the Minister, Mr Afenyo-Markin attempted to ask a follow-up question regarding the procurement arrangements and possible costs associated with the exercise.
However, the First Deputy Speaker ruled that the supplementary question went beyond the scope of the original question and disallowed it.
The decision sparked disagreement from the Minority side, leading to their decision to leave the chamber in protest.
Speaking to journalists afterwards, Mr Afenyo-Markin argued that parliamentary rules allow lawmakers to seek clarification through supplementary questions, insisting that his question was directly linked to the Minister’s response.
He cited Order 89.1 of Parliament’s Standing Orders, which he said permits members to ask follow-up questions based on answers provided by Ministers.
According to him, the issue was of public importance because citizens deserved clarity on the cost implications of restarting the SIM card registration process.
“This is a government policy seeking to start SIM registration afresh. They claim people use unverifiable identities. Our question is, at what cost?” he said.
Mr Afenyo-Markin accused the First Deputy Speaker of repeatedly using parliamentary procedures to restrict Minority members from raising issues on the floor.
“We have observed that the First Deputy Speaker has a way of using the rules to stampede parliamentary oversight,” he stated.
He said the walkout followed several months of concerns over what he described as an unfair approach to managing debates in the House.
The Minority Leader further claimed that some members of the Majority Caucus, including the Majority Leader, disagreed with the ruling.
However, he clarified that the walkout was a protest against the decision and not a withdrawal from parliamentary duties, adding that the Minority would return to the chamber to participate in subsequent business.
The disagreement adds to growing tensions in Parliament over the interpretation and enforcement of the House’s Standing Orders during debates and ministerial accountability sessions.
