We expect clerks to fix names of MPs on seats after Speaker's ruling - Kojo Oppong

Member of Parliament for the Ofoase Ayirebi constituency, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah has indicated that it is about time names of the various MPs in the House are fixed on the seats in order for business to kick-start.

Mr Oppong Nkrumah noted that since the matter on which caucus in the house of legislature constituted the Majority group, had been settled by the Speaker’s ruling, there was the need for steps to be put in place for work to begin.

Giving a breakdown of the ruling of Speaker Alban Bagbin after the first sitting of the 8TH Parliament, the Ofoase Ayirebi MP maintained that the time had come for members of both the New Patriotic Party and National Democratic Congress caucus to work together.

“We expect that office of the clerk would have fixed the names. etc to either side of the house and then hopefully by Tuesday when we settle, we can commence work,” he told GhanaWeb.

Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin ruled that the NPP caucus had obtained the Majority group in the house for the purposes of doing businesses after the Independent Member of Parliament, Andrew Asiamah Amoako declared his intention to caucus with the NPP side.

“What we have now, you have the New Patriotic Party wing or caucus in Parliament together with the independent Member of Parliament from Fomena, and they now constitute the Majority group,” Mr Bagbin said during the second sitting of the 8th Parliament, Friday, January 15.

The declaration regardless does not bring finality to the endless debate by leadership of the National Democratic Congress MPs and their counterparts in the New Patriotic Party on which side could be referred to as Majority and by extension deserved to be seated at the right-hand side of the Speaker of Parliament.

The NDC caucus especially still hold their stance, insisting that majority group does, in no way, translate to an endorsement of the NPP as majority.

Both sides of the house obtained 137 seats after the December 2020 elections, with two seats in contention at the courts while one was independent.