Majority Leader, Mahama Ayariga, has clarified the events surrounding the handling of former Energy Minister-nominee, Boakye Agyarko, during the 7th Parliament, stating that the actions taken were not intended to undermine the then-Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu.
In an exclusive interview on Channel One TV’s The Point of View with Bernard Avle, Mr Ayariga addressed the longstanding perception of tension between himself and Mr Iddrisu stemming from the incident.
He acknowledged that the situation may have created the impression of a rift but emphasized that there was no deliberate attempt to challenge or undermine Haruna Iddrisu’s authority as the Minority Leader at the time.
“That was the beginning of the 7th Parliament because at that time there were some misunderstandings regarding how we treated Hon. Agyarko when he was nominated as the minister for energy.
“It led to some thinking that there was a rift between myself and Hon. Haruna Iddrisu. But that has never really been the case. I think at that time we were probably a bit over-exuberant…But it wasn’t a deliberate decision to undermine his authority as the leader. But subsequently, we apologised.”
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.
Donatus Atanga: I’II engage stakeholders to stop child marriages in Upper East region
…..
Explore the world of impactful news with CitiNewsroom on WhatsApp!
Click on the link to join the Citi Newsroom channel for curated, meaningful stories tailored just for YOU: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaCYzPRAYlUPudDDe53x
No spam, just the stories that truly matter! #StayInformed #CitiNewsroom #CNRDigital
