Don't take 'fighting' MPs seriously, it was all just a playact – Akpaloo

Leader of the Liberal Party of Ghana, Percival Kofi Akpaloo has called for Ghanaians to not attach any form of seriousness to altercations that happened in the house of legislature during the dissolution of the 7th and the commencement of the 8th.

Mr Kofi Akpaloo posited that both members of the National Democratic Congress caucus and that of the New Patriotic Party, had planned from the onset how things were going to pan out so there was no need for Ghanaians to be upset and call for sanctions to be meted out.

According to the failed presidential candidate of the Liberal Party of Ghana, both sides of the house had already agreed to give the mandate of the Speaker of Parliament to the former MP of Nadowli Kaleo, Alban Sumana Bagbin.

“… to me it was a deliberate thing they did… Alban Bagbin had already been chosen by the two (sides of the house) by consensus. They sat down and said why don’t we give Alban Bagbin the go. So what you saw was just political gimmicks…,” he told GhanaWeb in an interview.

“Nobody can come and tell me what went on it was something nobody knew it was going to happen…. They acted… they were just playing… he added.

“...We call something, divide and rule tactics in politics… you out there will be thinking these people are fighting or quarrelling or something like that, but that’s not the case… he furthered.

There have been calls for some members of Parliament who were involved in altercations during the voting exercise of the Speaker of Parliament on January 7, 2021, after the dissolution of the 7th Parliament.

While NPP MP, Carlos Ahenkorah attempted to bolt with ballot sheets, leading to his colleagues charging at him with beatings, NDC MP, John Jinapor was also seen kicking ballot booths.

Their actions resulted in an eruption of violence in the august house of legislature causing the military to be called to restore calm; a situation which has widely been condemned.

During a press conference on Thursday, January 14, leader of the NDC caucus in Parliament, Haruna Iddrisu revealed that among other things, they will ensure that Parliament takes action against the invasion of the house by the soldiers.