Parliament has adjourned sitting on Monday, July 7, 2025 to July 8, 2025 following the demise of Akwatia MP, Ernest Yaw Kumi.
This was after the Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin pleaded with the First Deputy Speaker to adjourn sittings in honour of the deceased Legislator.
Afenyo-Markin while officially communicating to the House the death of the MP said “Mr. Speaker this is a very sad. I break this unfortunate news with a lot of regret and a lot of hesitation but it is my duty to be the bearer of it.”
He noted that the Minority Caucus is in touch with the family of the late MP and expressed condolences to the family of the deceased lawmaker and his constituents.
Read also: Akwatia MP Ernest Kumi dies at 40
The House also observed a minute’s silence for the late Akwatia MP.
The Majority Leader, Mahama Ayariga joined his colleague to plead with the First Deputy Speaker to suspend Monday’s sitting while extending his side’s condolences to the Minority Caucus.
“We extend our condolences to them, our prayers are with them and as a House we are with them in this extreme grief. This is not just about the Minority because he was a member of this House before becoming a member of the Minority.
“So, Mr. Speaker I join my colleagues to pray for an adjournment so that we can all go back and put ourselves together,” he said.
Ernest Yaw Kumi’s seat and mic in Parliament was draped in red cloth to signify the demise of the Legislator.
Ernest Kumi, Member of Parliament for Akwatia in the Eastern Region, has been confirmed dead.
The news was verified by Dr. Mahama Tiah Kabiru, MP for Walewale to 3news parliamentary correspondent on Monday, July 7, 2025.
Kumi, 40, was a rising figure in the New Patriotic Party (NPP), having won the Akwatia parliamentary seat in the 2024 general elections with 19,269 votes, defeating the National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate, Henry Yiadom Boakye, who polled 17,206 votes.
He had earlier secured the NPP nomination in 2023 after unseating incumbent Ama Sey in the party primaries.
His death comes just months after a protracted legal battle over his eligibility to serve as MP. In February 2025, the Koforidua High Court convicted him for contempt after he defied an injunction that barred him from being sworn into Parliament. A bench warrant was issued after he failed to appear for sentencing.
However, in June 2025, the Supreme Court overturned his conviction in a 4–1 majority decision, ruling that the initial judgment was affected by judicial bias. The decision cleared the way for him to fully resume parliamentary duties.
Death of Akwatia MP: God knows best – Afenyo-Markin says as he formally informs Parliament
