Former Tamale Central MP Inusah Fuseini has warned that the controversy surrounding allegations against Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin goes beyond one politician and raises broader questions about public trust in Parliament.

The former Lands Minister made the comments on Joy News’ PM Express on Tuesday while discussing the allegations of extortion levelled against Mr Afenyo-Markin by GoldBod Chief Executive Sammy Gyamfi.

The dispute followed a heated exchange over GoldBod's operations and reported losses linked to the Bank of Ghana’s Domestic Gold Purchase Programme.

Mr Gyamfi described the Minority Leader as an alleged extortionist after Mr Afenyo-Markin demanded greater accountability over the reported losses.

The allegation has since escalated into a legal battle, with Mr Afenyo-Markin suing Mr Gyamfi and media organisations over what he considers defamatory remarks.

The Office of the Special Prosecutor has also said it will assess the allegations and determine whether further investigative action is warranted.  

For Mr Fuseini, however, the controversy should not be viewed simply as a personal dispute between two individuals.

He said the matter touches on the fundamental relationship between elected representatives and the people who gave them their mandate.

“We have over 30 million people in this country; 276 have been privileged that, in between the times, during their four-year term, they take decisions on our behalf because we have trusted them to do so,” he said.

He argued that public confidence is at risk when MPs are perceived as using their positions for personal gain rather than representing their constituents.

“So when the public begins seeing that these 276 persons that we have given the mandate to represent us and transact business on our behalf in Parliament, hold our purse, I mean hold the executive accountable, pass laws for us, are doing that for themselves, have commodified that mandate that we have given them, and are trading in that mandate,” he said.

Mr Fuseini warned that such conduct could undermine Parliament's legitimacy and erode public trust in the institution.

“That not only undermines their legitimacy, it also undermines and erodes public confidence and public trust in that institution, and that is what we are confronted with,” he said.

He said MPs were elected to ensure public resources were managed in the interest of Ghanaians.

“That, so if that person was sent to Parliament to ensure that the resources are used judiciously and prudently, and that person now thinks that all of us do not matter, in so far as his pocket is lined, then we are in trouble,” he said.

Mr Fuseini said the central issue should therefore be the integrity of Parliament and whether elected representatives continue to serve the people's interests.

“Then the basic reason why we elected them in the first place goes, because they do not stand for us any longer; they are standing for themselves,” he said.

He urged Ghanaians to view the allegations in that broader context rather than as a dispute involving Mr Afenyo-Markin alone.

“You see, and that’s why we should treat what we are hearing not as Alexander Afenyo-Markin, but as a serious concern that goes to the root of our democracy,” he said.

He said the issue also affects the constitutional promise of equal opportunity and national prosperity.

“That promise will seriously be undermined if people do not pursue the collective interests, but are pursuing personal interests to the, I mean, disadvantage of the entirety of Ghana.”