Gifty Jiagge-Gobah: Afenyo-Markin apologises to Clerk of Appointments Committee
The Minority Leader in Parliament, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has issued an unreserved apology to the Clerk of the Appointments Committee, Mrs Gifty Jiagge-Gobah, following his earlier accusations that she was partisan in the execution of her duties.
Mr Afenyo-Markin had previously criticised Mrs Jiagge-Gobah, alleging that she conducted her work like "a typical NDC member" and failed to cooperate with the Minority members of the committee. He claimed that she circulated notices late and did not provide copies of reports early enough for Minority MPs to adequately review them before committee sittings.
“I will have her removed. She is partisan,” he had threatened.
However, speaking in Parliament on Tuesday, February 4, 2025, the Minority Leader retracted his remarks and extended his apologies to Mrs Jiagge-Gobah and her family.
“I unreservedly apologise to her. I also apologise to her husband and children as well as her relatives who have been emotionally affected by my utterances,” he stated.
Prior to his apology, Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin had condemned Mr Afenyo-Markin’s approach to reprimanding the Clerk, describing it as inappropriate.
Similarly, First Deputy Speaker Bernard Ahiafor had also called on the Minority Leader to retract his remarks, asserting that Mrs Jiagge-Gobah was not partisan and did not deserve to be publicly denigrated.
“If they don’t want to work with Gifty Jiagge-Gobah, then they don’t want to work at the Appointments Committee because I, as the Chairman, will never recommend her removal. I won’t do that today or tomorrow,” Mr Ahiafor stated in an interview with TV3’s Alfred Ocansey on 3 February.
He added, “She is a mother and has been in this House for 19 years. She doesn’t deserve that. The Minority Leader must apologise to the Clerk because she doesn’t deserve those words… We should not be denigrating her before the cameras.”
In concluding his apology, Mr Afenyo-Markin admitted that his reaction could have been handled better and pledged to make amends.
“If the husband, the children and family are traumatised by my comments about the Clerk, I am sorry. I concede that there is always a better way to react. I will write a personal letter to her [Clerk of the Appointments Committee] for the records,” he assured.