News:
March 12, 2026
The Leader of the House and Majority Leader, Mahama Ayariga, has firmly pushed back against accusations from the Minority that President John Dramani Mahama was insensitive to the plight of Ghanaian peacekeepers injured in Lebanon.
The exchange turned procedural during the debate on the President’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Thursday.
The Accusation
The Minority Leader, Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, used his time to wrap up the debate by criticizing President Mahama for failing to mention the recent attack on a Ghanaian peacekeeping base in southern Lebanon. On March 6, 2026, the base was hit by missiles, injuring several Ghanaian soldiers serving under UNIFIL.
Mr. Afenyo-Markin suggested the omission showed a lack of concern for the military personnel, stating the President should have devoted at least a sentence to the unfortunate development.
The Rebuttal: A Matter of Timing
However, Mr. Ayariga dismissed the accusation as baseless and without merit, arguing that it ignores the basic chronology of events.
“The Minority Leader is trying to muddy the waters and create disaffection for the President, but the facts are simple,” Mr. Ayariga stated on the floor of Parliament.
He laid out the timeline to substantiate his point:
· February 27, 2026: President John Dramani Mahama delivered the State of the Nation Address to Parliament, as mandated by the constitution.
· February 28, 2026: The United States and Israel launched coordinated military strikes on Iran, dubbed “Operation Epic Fury,” targeting missile and nuclear infrastructure.
· March 6, 2026: Days after the strikes began, the Ghanaian peacekeeping base in Lebanon was hit by missiles, injuring the soldiers.
“How could the president be addressing this House on a matter that had not yet occurred?” Mr. Ayariga queried, highlighting that the attack on the Ghanaian base happened after the President had already fulfilled his duty in Parliament. He described the Minority Leader’s attempt to link the two as an effort to unfairly tarnish the image of the President and the government.
Seized Excavators: Burning vs. Prudence
In a separate line of debate, Mr. Ayariga also responded to the Minority Leader’s call for the government to show more commitment to fighting illegal mining (‘galamsey’) by burning seized excavators.
While the Minority argued for the destruction of the machinery as a deterrent, the Majority Leader advocated for a more prudent economic approach.
Mr. Ayariga argued that while the owners may have purchased the equipment for illegal activities, destroying them is not a sound use of state assets.
“Burning those machines would not be a prudent way to handle them,” he explained. “The government has confiscated them. We can instead channel these machines into productive and legal uses in areas where they are most needed, rather than setting fire to valuable state resources.”
Dominic Shirimori/Ghanamps.com