Parliament Impasse: This is an embarrassment, Speaker Bagbin is at fault - Nana Akomea

Nana Akomea, a Vice Chairman of the Campaign Team of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Presidential Candidate, has blamed Speaker Alban Bagbin for the ongoing impasse in Parliament, with the current meeting of the House being adjourned indefinitely two times in less than a month.

According to Nana Akomea, who was the Member of Parliament for Okaikwei South from 1997 to 2009, the impasse in Parliament, which he described as a humiliation, has never happened since the inception of the 4th Republic, which has seen 8 parliaments, citinewsroom.com reports.

He indicated that there are always disagreements between the sides in Parliament, but it has never gotten to the point that the meetings of the House would be adjourned indefinitely.

“It is an embarrassment what is happening in Parliament. It has never happened before since 1993 and I was in Parliament for a long time. We would have disagreements and verbal exchanges between the Speaker, the Majority Leader and the Minority Leader. But at the end of the day, they’re able to resolve whatever.

“Bagbin himself was a Minority Leader, and he used to tell Peter Ala Adjetey [former Speaker] that he’s going to go after him. They used to have heated sessions in Parliament. And that is how it’s supposed to be, but at the end of the day, they’re able to move forward. What is happening today where there’s a total impasse has never happened and it’s all the Speaker’s fault,” he is quoted to have said on Channel One TV’s Face to Face.

Background:

The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, for the second time in less than a month, suspended the sitting of the House sine die (indefinitely), due to the NPP MPs not showing up for the House's sitting on Thursday, November 7, 2024.

The Speaker explained that he had to suspend the meeting indefinitely because the House lacked the numbers required to make decisions.

He also stated that there was no business before the House for consideration as the Business Committee of Parliament did not meet to present one to the plenary.

Bagbin expressed his frustration at the absence of the NPP Members of Parliament, as he had summoned the House upon the request of the leadership of the NPP MPs.

On Tuesday, October 22, 2024, Alban Bagbin adjourned the sitting of the House sine die (indefinitely), just a week after Members of Parliament reconvened following a long recess, citing a lack of quorum for decision-making after the NPP MPs boycotted proceedings.

The NPP MPs walked out of Parliament after the National Democratic Congress (NDC) MPs occupied the Majority side of the House.

The Speaker declared four seats in the House vacant after being petitioned by NDC MPs following the decision of the affected MPs to contest the upcoming December 2024 elections as independents or on different party tickets.

This declaration shifted the balance of power in Parliament, making the NDC the majority party.

However, the Supreme Court stayed the Speaker’s ruling on October 18, 2024, pending further review after the leader of the NPP MPs, Alexander Kwamina Afenyo-Markin, challenged Bagbin's declaration in court.

The affected seats include those held by Cynthia Morrison (Agona West), Kwadjo Asante (Suhum), Andrew Amoako Asiamah (Fomena), and Peter Kwakye Ackah (Amenfi Central).

The Supreme Court subsequently ruled that the Speaker’s declaration was unconstitutional.

BAI/AE

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