I am not the type who can be bullied – James Agalga to Afenyo-Markin

Newly appointed Majority Leader James Agalga has stated that Minority Leader Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin will not bully him in Parliament following his nomination as the majority leader.

Speaking on TV3’s Ghana Tonight on August 7, 2026, Agalga said being new to the leadership of the Majority does not make him someone who can be intimidated.

“I’ve heard people say, ‘Oh, well, maybe I’m new to leadership, and I could be bullied.’. If you’ve known me for some time, you would agree that I am not the type who can be bullied. Far from that,” he said.

He said both entered Parliament at the same time, and therefore neither has seniority over the other based on their years in the House.

“Afenyo-Markin is a colleague lawyer. We are members of the bar. We both arrived in parliament at the same time, and so he doesn’t enjoy seniority over me so far as our age in parliament is concerned. But of course, we would extend all the courtesies to the minority leadership,” he stated.

“The message I have for the minority is that we would play according to the rules. I mean, the standing orders are very clear, and so if we play according to what the standing orders allow us to do, I am sure we would have a very interesting parliament,” he cautioned.

“I don’t think it would get to the point where we’d have to have a showdown, but if we have to have a showdown, why not? But as the majority, our interest is to ensure that government business is not interrupted,” he indicated.

Agalga, however, said he recognised Afenyo-Markin as a colleague lawyer and will extend the necessary courtesies to him as Minority Leader.

“Afenyo-Markin is a nice gentleman, and so would accord him all the courtesies and would expect him to do likewise. And if we do that, I’m sure there’ll be peace and tranquility in the house,” he concluded.

James Agalga is a Member of Parliament for Builsa North, who has been appointed as the new Majority Leader of Ghana’s Parliament. He succeeds Mahama Ayariga, who stepped down from the role following his nomination as a Local Government, Chieftaincy, and Religious Affairs Minister in Mahama’s first reshuffle in his second term as president.