Member of Parliament (MP) for Okaikwei Central, Patrick Yaw Boamah, has dismissed claims that he is positioning himself to become the next Minority Leader. In an interview on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen on Monday, 17 November 2025, he stated that he has a long-standing and close relationship with the current Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, making the rumours about him eyeing the leadership role surprising. “There is nobody in Parliament who knows Afenyo-Markin more than I do. We’ve been friends for years, and we’re still very close. We share ideas all the time,” said the New Patriotic Party (NPP) MP. He recalled standing by Afenyo-Markin during earlier efforts by some individuals to remove him in the 9th Parliament. “I was one of the people who defended him when some individuals tried to unseat him. We are grooming young leaders in the party, so there was no need to change him. At that point, he hadn’t even served a full year as Majority Leader before we lost the election,” he explained. The MP for Okaikwei Central emphasised that his focus now is on helping the NPP regain power, not chasing leadership roles in Parliament. “I’m not interested in the Minority Leader position. We need to be strategic. What we discuss internally shouldn’t be discussed outside. It doesn’t help unity,” he stated. He added that keeping the caucus and its committees united is a shared responsibility as the party works towards rebuilding. Responding to whether he was nursing presidential ambitions, the Okaikwei Central MP did not outrightly dismiss the idea nor did he show keen interest in becoming President; instead, he said, “God has His time for everything. I am qualified to run for the presidential primaries, but I believe everything must happen at the right time.” According to Patrick Boamah, his priority is helping to reorganise and strengthen the NPP as it seeks to reposition itself with policies that can move the country forward. “We’re working on fixing the party. We believe we have strong policies that can help the country,” he added. In another interview on Frontline on Rainbow Radio 87. 5FM, Mr Boamah stated that contesting to represent the NPP as a presidential candidate is not a priority at the moment. The private legal practitioner stated that although he qualifies by age to contest in a presidential election and be elected as President, he is not interested in that at the moment. Host Kwabena Agyapong asked if he would accept suggestions for him to contest the presidential candidate slot, since he was a fine material to be elected as President. But in his response, he stated categorically that he was not interested in contesting at the moment, even though he qualified. “I am more than 40 years old. The laws of Ghana grant me the opportunity to contest the presidency if I am able to be elected as President, but that is currently not my priority. It is not my priority because even if I am elected as the candidate for the party to represent it, and we have not restructured the party, I will not win the national elections and come back with the same results. It is about selfishness, but you should be concerned about the welfare of the younger generation now joining the party. If there is anyone who is 14 to 18 years and desiring to be elected as polling station agents, we have to groom these individuals and allow them to campaign and generate that excitement at the base.” He stressed that there was a need for the party to take immediate steps in restructuring and rebranding itself so that it will become attractive once more to Ghanaians. “We need as a Party to win back public confidence and their trust so we will become more attractive to the Ghanaian people. We have a duty as a party to observe the performance of the government and be strategic, hold the government to account, and examine their performance.” It comes as the Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, issued a stark warning to members of the NPP Minority Caucus, cautioning that internal betrayals and simmering divisions are undermining the party’s authority and weakening its capacity to hold the Mahama government accountable. As Jesus did at the Last Supper, Mr Afenyo-Markin, speaking during a caucus meeting on the 7th floor of Job 600 in Parliament on Thursday, November 13, 2025, said the greatest threat facing the caucus is not the Majority, but their own disunity. The gospel according to Matthew quotes Christ’s statement to his disciples about betrayal during the Last Supper, saying, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me. For the Son of Man goes as it is written about him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for him if he had not been born”. Despite this warning, Judas Iscariot got paid 30 pieces of silver to betray Jesus. In Afenyo-Markin’s words to his colleagues, he said, “We are not here by accident. We are here by choice,” he said, reminding MPs of their obligation to represent the people of Ghana and serve as the voice of the voiceless. “But colleagues, I must speak plainly. That duty is suffering. Our people are suffering. And we are allowing our internal disagreements to become their burden.” He argued that while the Majority remains focused on sidelining the Minority, NPP MPs are unknowingly making the Mahama government’s work easier by remaining divided and unfocused. “The Majority sits across from us with one agenda: to suppress our views, to silence our expression, to render us irrelevant. And what are we doing? We are doing their work for them. We bicker. We backbite. We whisper in corridors instead of roaring in this chamber,” he lamented. Calling for an end to the infighting, Afenyo-Markin urged members to prioritize unity above political ambition, stressing that disagreements are normal but must never compromise their shared responsibility. “Yes, we will disagree on how to achieve our goals. Yes, NPP MPs will support different candidates for 2028. Yes, we will have competing visions. But we must never allow our internal disagreements to make the people of Ghana the collateral damage of our divisions.” The Minority Leader also accused the ruling government of economic mismanagement, abuse of state institutions, and increasing public frustration, insisting that a united Minority is essential to confronting these challenges. “Right now, as we sit divided, the government is running riot. They are mismanaging our economy. They are weaponising state institutions. They are persecuting our compatriots. But belief without action is betrayal,” he added.
https://theheraldghana.com/okaikwei-central-mp-denies-plot-to-unseat-afenyo-markin/
Okaikwei Central MP denies plot to unseat Afenyo-Markin
