It lies with Sammy Gyamfi to prove his extortion allegation against Afenyo-Markin — Solomon Owusu
The United Party (UP) has challenged the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod), Sammy Gyamfi, to substantiate his allegation that Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin attempted to extort him.
The party said the allegation, which involves a serving public official and an alleged criminal offence, should be investigated formally rather than being allowed to remain a subject of political and media exchanges.
Speaking on Eyewitness News on Monday, August 24, 2026, UP Director of Communications Solomon Owusu said the party had petitioned the Attorney-General, the Ghana Police Service and other relevant institutions to investigate the matter and establish the facts.
“Our position on this matter is very simple. An allegation has been made against a Minority Leader who occupies an official or a public position that he attempted to engage in extortion,” Mr Owusu said.
He explained that the UP petitioned the relevant authorities to prevent the matter from degenerating into what he described as “the usual radio and TV banter where allegations will be made, and it will be left unattended to.”
According to him, the petition is aimed at compelling Mr Gyamfi to provide evidence to support his claim while giving Mr Afenyo-Markin the opportunity to respond to the allegation.
Mr Owusu said investigators should examine all relevant evidence, including communications, audio recordings and video materials, to determine whether there was an attempt to extort the GoldBod chief executive.
He also called on both Mr Gyamfi and Mr Afenyo-Markin to cooperate fully with any investigation into the matter.
“What we believe is that any attempt by any of them not to cooperate in the investigation will be doing a great disservice to their own integrity,” he said.
The UP communications director maintained that the responsibility to substantiate the allegation rests with the GoldBod CEO.
“It lies with Sammy Gyamfi to prove the allegations,” Mr Owusu said.
He further disclosed that the party's petition had drawn attention to what he described as broader allegations of extortion involving journalists, politicians and public officials.
He said the controversy could therefore provide an opportunity for a wider national conversation on allegations of extortion and the conduct of public officials.
The UP maintained that a thorough and impartial investigation was necessary to establish the truth and safeguard the integrity of both Mr Gyamfi and Mr Afenyo-Markin.