Tolon honoured as Habib Iddrisu grabs 1st Deputy Majority Chief Whip post

The Member of Parliament(MP) for Tolon Constituency, Alhaji Habib Iddrisu has brought honour to the area after being elevated to 1st Deputy Majority Chief Whip.

The lawmaker who is serving the last year of his first term in parliament, becomes the first MP from the Tolon Constituency to have been elevated to such a status in the fourth republic.

By the promotion which was announced by the Speaker of Parliament, Right Honourable Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, Habib Iddrisu will now be among the leaders from the majority side that will sit in the front row in the chamber.

Considered one of the hardworking and result-oriented lawmakers from the Northern Region, Alhaji Habib Iddrisu has prioritized the needs of his constituents in the areas of education, health, and infrastructural development among others.

Speaking briefly on his new role, he revealed that it would spur him on to do more for his constituency and the country as a whole, promising to lend the needed support to his side for the effective execution of business in the house.

“This came to me as a surprise, I am optimistic it will spur me on to do more for my constituency and the country at large. I have a responsibility to lend the needed support to the leader of my side and colleagues for the overall development of mother Ghana”, he disclosed.

New Changes

Following an emergency meeting between the majority Caucus in parliament and President Nana Akufo-Addo, Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu stepped down as Majority Leader on Wednesday, February 21.

In a meeting of the National Council of the NPP on Friday, February 23, 2024, where the changes were confirmed, the Suame MP who is in his final term was confirmed as a Minister of Parliamentary Affairs despite his resignation as Majority Leader.

Presenting the recommendations and the concurrence letter from the Majority Caucus, the General Secretary of the NPP Justin Frimpong Koduah who was part of the emergency meeting, indicated that the caucus sought approval from the National Council, which convened at the Alisa Hotel in Accra.

This process he added, adheres to the provisions of Order 6 of the Standing Orders of Parliament (2024), as interpreted by Speaker Alban SK Bagbin. The Speaker’s interpretation emphasized the significant role of parliamentary caucuses in leadership selection while maintaining the involvement of political parties in the process to ensure a balance between internal party democracy and parliamentary norms.

Per the NEC’s recommendations, the newly appointed leadership team for the Majority Front Bench will consist of:

Majority Leader: Alexander Afenyo-Markin, MP for Effutu

Deputy Majority Leader: Patricia Appiagyei, MP for Asokwa

Majority Chief Whip: Frank Annoh Dompreh, MP for Nsawam/Adoagyiri

First Deputy Majority Chief Whip: Habib Iddrisu, MP for Tolon

Second Deputy Majority Chief Whip: Alex Tetteh Djornobuah, MP for Sefwi Akontombra