The Minority in Parliament has rejected Speaker Alban Bagbin’s ruling dismissing its motion for a parliamentary inquiry into recent narcotics seizures linked to Ghana, vowing to pursue the matter through what it describes as every legitimate avenue.

Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin said the Speaker erred by relying on ongoing criminal proceedings to determine the scope and manner of the proposed parliamentary inquiry.

“Mr Speaker therefore got it wrong by using existing pending criminal proceedings to determine the scope and manner of the inquiry,” he said at a press conference in Accra on Tuesday, September 29.

The ruling followed an emergency sitting of Parliament convened to consider the Minority’s push for an Ad Hoc Committee to investigate major narcotics seizures involving consignments linked to Ghana. Speaker Bagbin rejected the motion, citing concerns that the proposed inquiry could prejudice ongoing court proceedings.

Mr Afenyo-Markin said the Minority would not abandon its demand for accountability.

“We will not let this matter rest. Unfortunately, the Speaker denied the Minority the opportunity to be heard,” he said.

He also accused the Majority of being unwilling to subject the matter to parliamentary scrutiny, using the phrase “24-hour cocaine” in reference to the government’s 24-hour economy policy.

“The 24-hour economy has turned into 24-hour cocaine, and the Majority is not at all interested in scrutiny; we will not rest,” he said.

Mr Afenyo-Markin said the Minority would use options available under the Constitution and Parliament’s Standing Orders to keep the issue before the public.

“We will do what we have to do, and at the right time, we will brief the people of Ghana. We act in the national interest. We act for the good of our democracy and not partisan interest,” he said.

The Minority Leader described the Speaker’s ruling as a setback for parliamentary oversight.

“Today is a sad day for our democracy and parliamentary oversight. The majority has once again used its supermajority, with the support of the Speaker, to weaken Parliament,” he said.

He further alleged that the ruling reflected the government's concerns about its own record.

“Clearly, the NDC government is afraid of its own failures. This ruling by Mr Speaker has failed the integrity test required of Parliament to discharge its duty,” he said.

These characterisations are Mr Afenyo-Markin’s assessment of the ruling and were not established findings of Parliament.

The motion, filed by First Deputy Minority Whip and Tolon MP Habib Iddrisu, sought the establishment of an Ad Hoc Committee to investigate a series of major narcotics seizures linked to Ghana.

Among the cases cited was the seizure of nearly 3.9 metric tonnes of cocaine by French Customs at Dunkirk on September 10, 2026, as well as the seizure of 320 kilogrammes of methamphetamine by Australian authorities in June.

The motion also referred to cocaine interceptions in Takoradi and Pedu in Cape Coast in March 2025.

The proposed committee was expected to examine how the consignments were processed, inspected, cleared, and exported from Ghana, including the ports from which they departed, and the intelligence profiling, scanning, physical inspection, and customs procedures applied.

It would also have examined the roles of relevant companies and state agencies, the adequacy of Ghana’s security systems and the status of investigations, arrests and prosecutions arising from the seizures.

Mr Afenyo-Markin maintained that the proposed parliamentary inquiry was structured in a way that would not interfere with ongoing criminal cases.

“The motion we filed before the House does not seek to try any accused person. It does not ask Parliament to determine criminal liability, pronounce upon the guilt or innocence of any person, assess the credibility of prosecution witnesses, or decide upon evidence that is properly before a court,” he said.

He said the Minority would therefore pursue another avenue under the Constitution and Parliament’s Standing Orders to keep the narcotics issue on the parliamentary agenda.

The Minority has argued that the scale of the seizures warrants scrutiny of Ghana’s port security, customs controls, intelligence gathering and narcotics enforcement systems.

Mr Afenyo-Markin warned that limiting Parliament’s oversight role could weaken institutional checks on executive power.

“When Parliament is weakened, accountability is weakened, and the institutions of state are left with fewer checks on the exercise of power,” he said.

“A supermajority must never become an excuse to weaken the minority, silence scrutiny, or diminish Parliament’s duty to oversight.”

The Majority supported the Speaker’s ruling, after which Parliament was adjourned until further notice.

Mr Afenyo-Markin said the Minority would brief Ghanaians on its next steps at the appropriate time.