Ayariga ‘lacks knowledge’ concerning parliamentary affairs – Afenyo-Markin

The Member of Parliament (MP) for the Effutu constituency, Alex Afenyo-Markin, has criticised the Bawku Central MP, Mahama Ayariga’s attempt to get Parliament to reject the Electoral Commission’s (EC) move to make the Ghana card and passports the only valid identification for registering to vote.

Speaking in an interview on Citi FM last Wednesday, Afenyo-Markin insisted that Ayariga did not have the standing to make such a call.

The Effutu MP stressed that Mr. Ayariga could not overstep jurisdiction of the Subsidiary Legislation Committee.

“When a referral is made to a committee and that committee is given jurisdiction to look into the matter until the committee reports at the plenary, a member who is not a member of the committee cannot seek to arrest that mandate by bringing a motion.”

“As a member of Parliament you can speak in any committee deliberation but of course if you are not a member, you can’t vote,” he added.

Mr. Afenyo-Markin further said that Mr. Ayariga had fellow Minority MPs on the committee and could have appropriately relayed his concerns through them.

“His side is well represented on the committee. He is working as though he is alone in Parliament, Not that is not it.”

Background

A Notice of Motion was filed by Mr. Ayariga to get Parliament to reject the Public Election (Registration of Voters) (Amendments) Regulations 2020 (C.I. 126) pursuant to Article 11 (7)(c) of the Constitution.

According to the Notice of Motion filed by Mr. Ayariga, he wanted Parliament to reject the Public Election (Registration of Voters) (Amendments) Regulations 2020 (C.I. 126) pursuant to Article 11 (7)(c) of the Constitution.

But in a memo to Mr. Ayariga, the Speaker of Parliament asked him to rather appear before the Subsidiary Legislation Committee to voice his concerns.