Bagbin reveals how Akufo-Addo leveraged Francis Sosu's Private Member's Bills for UN recognition

Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has expressed frustration over the failure of the ruling government and President Akufo-Addo to assent to several key private members' bills brought to his attention.

Addressing a gathering at an event in Accra on December 28, 2024, Bagbin revealed how President Akufo-Addo’s government secured a position for Ghana in the United Nations Human Rights Council, thanks to some of the private members' bills championed by Francis Xavier Sosu, the Member of Parliament for Madina.

He added that despite the achievements secured using some of these bills, the president wrote to the House, refusing to assent to some of them.

“Through the initiatives of Francis Xavier Sosu, we were able to pass a number of private members' bills. It is those bills that this government, including His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, took to the United Nations to argue for us to be given a position in the Human Rights Council of the UN. Yet, when he came back, he wrote to us that he was not going to assent to some of those bills,” he said.

Bagbin also explained how the president contacted Francis Xavier Sosu for copies of his bills to support his arguments at international conferences.

Referring to the death penalty bill championed by the MP and successfully abolished in 2023, Bagbin emphasised the importance of such bills in addressing the imperfections within various systems and societies.

“He personally called the MP to send him soft copies from his phone for him to use for arguments. I went to some of the conferences for lawyers, jurors, and MPs to discuss how we could pass legislation to eliminate the death penalty, which is a global challenge. Many countries have come on board due to the imperfections of the justice system. Many innocent people have been convicted, sentenced to death, and executed, only to later realize it was done in error,” Bagbin stated.

The lawmaker has thus called for a reset of the country, urging the newly elected government to implement its plans and fulfill the promises made to the people.

He added, “We have done so much, and Ghana has been brought up. It is now time for us, as we have pledged and promised the people, to reset Ghana and actualize it.”

@lordknows_madugu Speaker Exposes Akufo-Addo’s Use of Sosu’s Legislative Achievements at UN. … says we must unite to reset Ghana. #fypシ #fyp ♬ original sound - Kewaw Madugu