Bagbin has been the most non-partisan Speaker - Group

The Speaker of the Eighth Parliament, Rt. Hon. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, has been adjudged as the most non-partisan in the entire lineage of Speakers in the Fourth Republic.

This is according to a group of people in the Ashanti region who are commending the Speaker for his handling of his parliamentary duties in what they say is a manner that has helped nourish the country’s democracy.

“The Rt. Hon. Alban Bagbin is so non-partisan that both sides of the political divide in Parliament, concurrently praise him and also blame him at the same time,” said Mr. D.K Mensah, leader of the group.

According to him, the fierce, nationalistic and firm neutrality of the current Speaker has put him in a special category of his own.

“The Rt. Hon. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin is the most non-partisan Speaker in the entire history of the Fourth Republic.”

Bagbin, the longest-serving parliamentarian of the Fourth Republic became Speaker after he was elected in January 2021.

He came to the speakership at a crucial time that Ghana, for the first time elected a split parliament for itself.

Even though politically, the Speaker is known to be a kingpin of the National Democratic Congress, Mr. D.K Mensah pointed out that he has been so neutral that even MPs from his own party have fallen out with him.

Recently, former minority Chief whip, Alhaji Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka, shocked the country when he accused the speaker of favouring the NPP in his steering of parliament. This was not new, in 2021, the NDC’s National Communications Officer, Sammy Gyamfi, berated Bagbin along with the Minority side in Parliament for supposedly betraying the NDC by approving some ministerial nominees of President Akufo-Addo, but the Speaker replied by saying he is not a speaker for NDC but Ghana.

According to Mr. D.K Mensah, “that reply was mood-lifting and heartwarming because it showed that the Speaker was so non-partisan that even his own party feel uncatered for.”

Interestingly, however, it is not just the Minority side which have been unhappy with the Speaker for not being malleable to its wishes, the Majority side has also occasionally accused the Speaker of bias for failing to walk out the NDC’s then General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketia so that then Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta could consult with MPs on the 2021 budget.

In 2024, the Majority staged a walkout accusing the Speaker of delaying proceedings so that the Minority could organize all their members for a vote.

“Now Alban Bagbin is like Aljazeera, disliked by Israel, Iran, Iraq, Egypt, US, UK, China, Russia and North Korea. If you understand international geopolitics, you will understand that this is strange because the US and Russia for instance are opponents, just like Iran and Israel are actually enemies. If opponents and enemies both dislike you, it means you are fiercely non-aligned and they are not happy that you are independent-minded. Such is Bagbin in Ghana politics,” Mr. D.K Mensah said.

On his part, Mr. Daniel Osei, a businessman said “Speaker Bagbin is the only Speaker in the history of the country with great achievements, very intelligent, God-fearing, respected in international circles and praised throughout the regions of the country for his brilliant performance. We are not surprised that many Ghanaians want him to be celebrated by the whole nation in grand style”.