Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga has challenged the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) to select a female running mate for the 2028 general elections as a genuine show of commitment to gender equality.
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Addressing Parliament on Tuesday, Ayariga, who also serves as the MP for Bawku Central, praised the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) for setting the precedent by choosing Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, Ghana’s first female Vice President.
“We, the NDC, can only go forward,” Ayariga said, drawing cheers from both sides of the House. He made the remarks while responding to Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin, who had accused President Mahama of not being committed to gender equity.
Ayariga dismissed the criticism, defending the NDC’s record and urging the NPP to take bold steps. He proposed that the NPP allow female candidates to run unopposed in “safe seats,” particularly in its Ashanti stronghold, while the NDC does the same in the Volta Region.
“This way, Parliament will have more female legislators, giving the President a wider pool of qualified women to appoint as ministers,” he noted.
He also criticized Afenyo-Markin’s sudden interest in gender issues, pointing out the NPP’s failure to retain most of its female MPs in the last election.
“You now want to be a gender champion, but as Majority Leader, you couldn’t protect your female MPs’ seats… dzi wo fie asem,” Ayariga said, drawing laughter from MPs.
Earlier, Afenyo-Markin alleged that President Mahama had failed to appoint 30% women to Cabinet, as promised, and claimed only 28 women were appointed as MMDCEs (mayors and district chiefs).
Ayariga’s remarks reignited debate over gender representation in governance, highlighting ongoing political tensions around inclusivity and leadership parity in Ghana.
