Spencer Wan Blog of Tuesday, 28 January 2025
Source: Eric Afatsao
In an explanation of the circumstances surrounding the treatment of former Energy Minister-nominee Boakye Agyarko during the 7th Parliament, Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga said that the acts were not meant to discredit Haruna Iddrisu, who was the then-Minority Leader.
In an exclusive interview on The Point of View with Bernard Avle on Channel One TV, Mr. Ayariga discussed the incident's long-standing impression of tension between him and Mr. Iddrisu.
There was no conscious attempt to question or weaken Haruna Iddrisu's authority as the Minority Leader at the time, he said, but he conceded that the circumstances might have given the appearance of a rift.
Because of certain misunderstandings about how we handled Hon. Agyarko when he was nominated as the minister of energy at the time, the 7th Parliament started at that point.
It gave rise to the belief that Hon. Haruna Iddrisu and I were at odds. That hasn't actually been the case, though. I believe that at the moment, we were perhaps a little too ebullient.However, he didn't intentionally choose to challenge his leadership position. However, we subsequently expressed regret.
Background
Prior to Agyarko’s ministerial confirmation in February 2017, he was accused by Mahama Ayariga at the parliamentary appointment committee of bribing members of the minority to facilitate his approval as a Minister of Energy.
Ayariga reported that Agyarko through Muntaka Mubarak, the minority then Chief Whip, had tried to influence the decision of the Appointments Committee of Parliament by giving each minority member a bribe.
The Speaker of Parliament then, Aaron Mike Oquaye set up an ad hoc parliamentary committee to investigate the matter. After the investigation, the Joe Ghartey committee exonerated Agyarko but cited and found Ayariga guilty of being in contempt of parliament for making false allegations against a colleague and bringing the parliament into disrepute.
Ayariga was made to render an apology on the floor of parliament and warned to be mindful of his actions in the future.