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MIKE OQUAYE RECALLS BLOCKING SPECIAL PROSECUTOR’S ATTEMPT TO ARREST MAHAMA AYARIGA, REVIVING DEBATE OVER PARLIAMENTARY PRIVILEGE

Former Speaker of Parliament Prof. Aaron Mike Oquaye says he personally intervened during his tenure to prevent then-Special Prosecutor Martin Amidu from pursuing Bawku Central MP Mahama Ayariga in a way he believed threatened the lawmaker’s parliamentary privileges. Oquaye says his action was not partisan and was intended to protect Parliament’s constitutional independence. The 2019 dispute later reached the courts, where judges rejected a broad interpretation of parliamentary immunity and required Ayariga to appear as an accused person. Oquaye’s comments have revived the continuing debate over how Article 117 of Ghana’s Constitution should apply when law-enforcement agencies seek to arrest or serve process on sitting MPs.