The First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Bernard Ahiafor, sharply declined an interview request from TV3’s Christian Yalley on Tuesday, citing a breach of parliamentary protocol.
“You know the procedure. As a speaker, to speak, you know the procedure to follow. I am not the type that you can put a microphone in my mouth and say, ‘Honourable, Honourable.’ No. Stop this,” Ahiafor said as he exited Parliament in the company of some Majority MPs and police officers.
The refusal came in the wake of tense scenes in Parliament, where Minority MPs, dressed in black attire, disrupted proceedings over the controversial Kpandai parliamentary seat.
The MPs held placards with inscriptions such as “Where is the National Peace Council?” and “Are Journalists on JDM’s Payroll?” while heckling the Clerk to Parliament, Ebenezer Djietror, for submitting a letter to the Electoral Commission declaring the Kpandai seat vacant.
Chaos escalated as Majority and Minority MPs clashed over the Speaker’s directive to continue the day’s business despite the protests.
Members from both sides moved toward the front of the Chamber, meeting in the middle and creating a tense standoff. Loud shouts and chants filled the Chamber as parliamentary marshals struggled to restore order, while the Speaker repeatedly called for calm.
The disruption follows a Tamale High Court ruling that ordered a rerun of the Kpandai parliamentary election within 30 days from Monday, November 24.
The decision by His Lordship Emmanuel Brew Plange cited irregularities in the voting and collation processes that undermined the credibility of the election outcome.
Matthew Nyindam, the MP affected by the ruling, has since filed an appeal at the Court of Appeal and initiated a judicial review at the Supreme Court challenging the High Court’s decision.
