Member of Parliament for Tamale South and Education Minister, Haruna Iddrisu, has called on the Acting CEO of the Petroleum Commission, Emeafa Hardcastle, to issue a public apology and retract comments allegedly made against the Minority Chief Whip, Frank Annoh-Dompreh.The incident reportedly occurred during a short break in the vetting process for Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, the Minister-Designate for Defence.

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During this recess, a verbal exchange is said to have taken place between Hardcastle and the Minority Chief Whip.As Frank Annoh-Dompreh was walking out of the room, Hardcastle allegedly made remarks including, “You are threatening me that you are taking me on because who are you? What do you mean by taking me on? You are a micro-minority. Doesn’t Afenyo-Markin himself use that phrase? I don’t have time for that.

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You think you can bully me here?”In response, Frank Annoh-Dompreh expressed his intention to confront Emeafa Hardcastle, highlighting concerns about the nature of their exchange and its possible consequences.Speaking on the floor of Parliament, Haruna Iddrisu criticized Hardcastle's comments, describing them as harmful to Annoh-Dompreh’s reputation as an elected Member of Parliament.

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‘My friend, don’t bring yourself[…] you call me silly, we will deal with this matter’ - An altercation between Ag. Petroleum Commission boss, Emeafa Hardcastle and Hon. Annoh-Dompreh after the recess of the appointments committee over defamatory comments made by Oliver… pic.twitter.

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com/Ltp8WwURSJ— ChannelOne TV (@Channel1TVGHA) January 28, 2025He called for a public apology from Hardcastle, urging the Minority Chief Whip not to escalate the situation further.“The justified request made by the Minority Whip regarding conduct infers damaging his reputation as an elected member of Parliament. Mr. Speaker, as I listened to him, we can only appeal to him that we share what the Hon.

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MP of Damongo said – that this house must stand united and unanimous in condemning the conduct and demanding an apology for it, but to persuade our colleague not to pursue it further, wanting this matter resolved at the Privileges Committee,” he stated.

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Iddrisu emphasized that addressing the issue in Parliament would demonstrate to the public and non-MPs that the legislature has disciplinary authority, as outlined in Article 122 of the 1992 Constitution.Comfort Doyoe, Leader of the Women’s Caucus in Parliament and First Deputy Majority Whip, also shared her views on the matter.

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She urged the Minority Chief Whip to withdraw his request to the Speaker to refer the case to the Privileges Committee, promising to handle the issue personally.“Mr Speaker, as a leader of the women’s caucus in this Parliament, I will plead with the Chief Whip to leave the case to me. I am going to meet with the lady in question and advise her on how to handle issues. This is a case between a woman and a man.

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“Mr Speaker, the woman has apologised already, so I am pleading with the Chief Whip to leave the matter to the women and me, as the head of the Women’s Caucus, to advise her on how to address issues when she is in our premises and Parliament,” she stated.

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