The Member of Parliament for Tamale South and Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has called for a public apology and retraction from the Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Petroleum Commission, Emeafa Hardcastle, following a verbal altercation with Minority Chief Whip, Frank Annoh-Dompreh.
The incident reportedly occurred during a brief recess before the vetting of Minister-Designate for Defence, Dr. Edward Omane Boamah. As Annoh-Dompreh was leaving the room, Hardcastle allegedly made remarks questioning his authority, calling him a “micro-minority” and asserting that she would not be intimidated by him.
In response, Annoh-Dompreh vowed to take her on, expressing concerns over the implications of her comments.
Addressing the matter on the floor of Parliament, Haruna Iddrisu condemned Hardcastle’s comments, arguing that they undermined the integrity of an elected MP. He urged Hardcastle to offer a public apology and retraction while appealing to Annoh-Dompreh not to escalate the issue further.
“The justified request made by the Minority Whip regarding conduct infers damaging his reputation as an elected member of Parliament. Mr. Speaker, we must stand united in condemning such conduct and demanding an apology. However, I also appeal to my colleague not to pursue the matter further at the Privileges Committee,” Iddrisu stated.
Comfort Doyoe, the Leader of the Women’s Caucus in Parliament and First Deputy Whip of the Majority group, also intervened, calling for a resolution. She pleaded with Annoh-Dompreh to withdraw his application to the Speaker to escalate the issue to the Privileges Committee, assuring him that she would personally address the matter with Hardcastle.
“Mr Speaker, as a leader of the Women’s Caucus, I will plead with the Chief Whip to leave the case to me. I will meet with the lady in question and advise her on how to handle such matters. She has already apologized, so I appeal to the Chief Whip to let us, as women, handle it,” she stated.
The incident has sparked discussions about decorum in parliamentary engagements and the need for mutual respect among public officials. Whether the matter will be officially closed remains to be seen.