The legal battle over what has now been popularly known as the ‘Gang of four Seats’ in parliament is getting interesting with no immediate end in sight.
The Rt. Hon Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin has ordered the return of the writ saved on Parliament by the Supreme Court.
Read below:
Ghanamps.com
Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament, Committee on Political Affairs, Peace, Security and African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), Senator Edwin Melvin Snowe Jr. has congratulated her former colleague at the Parliament for her election as Secretary-General of the Commonwealth.
“Congratulatory message to my friend, Madam Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, current Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration of the Republic of Ghana on her election by the Commonwealth Heads of Government as Secretary General of the Commonwealth”.
He said, “Shirley and I initially met at the ECOWAS Parliament in 2015 and became professional colleagues. Our bond quickly developed around ethical professional standards, and we eventually regarded each other as brother and sister”.
Shirley, he said, soon became the Republic of Ghana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, while I was appointed Chair of the ECOWAS Parliament’s Political Affairs, Peace, Security, and APRM Committee.
“I wasn’t surprised by her elevation because I knew her to be shrewd and intentional about her goals”, he said on his Facebook post.
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President of the Conference of Speakers and Presidents of African Legislatures (CoSPAL), Rt. Hon. Alban Bagbin has challenged the 2nd General Assembly to develop concrete strategies to strengthen the institutional capacity of Parliaments in performing their legislative and oversight roles.
Speaking at the opening of the 2ND General Assembly of CoSPAL in Accra, Ghana, he urged that the two days should be devoted to contributing to the economic development of the continent by considering mechanisms to foster trade, investment, and innovation across the continent.
Parliaments worldwide, he said, including those in Africa, play a crucial role in the socio-economic development and democratic governance through their representational, legislative and oversight functions.
“However, the traditional role of our legislative assemblies has been circumscribed by contemporary global economic challenges, the adverse impact of climate change, and threats to regional and continental security, all of which are changing the dynamics of global governance.
As representatives of the people, our parliaments cannot sit aloof or operate on the fringes of the efforts to combat these challenges. We must be at the centre of those efforts if we are to meet the needs and aspirations of the people we represent”.
“CoSPAL therefore provides a unique opportunity for us, as Speakers and Presidents of African Legislative Assemblies, to lay a strong foundation in the creation of a united and common platform to deliberate on Africa’s developmental challenges and advocate for coordinated solutions” he emphasised.
CoSPAL is meeting to consider and adopt the Draft Constitution submitted by the Interim Technical Working Group (ITWG) that was assigned that responsibility at the first General Assembly held in Abuja, Nigeria in May 2022.
And the President did not mince words in reminding them to approach the deliberations with a positive outlook that will enable CoSPAL not only to create a strong, inclusive and forward-looking association, but also to develop concrete strategies to strengthen the institutional capacity of Parliaments in performing their legislative and oversight roles.
“As Africans, we share a common destiny and face the common enemies of ignorance, poverty, and deprivation. Let us remember that no single country can address these challenges alone. We are politically, culturally and economically interconnected, and collective action is therefore necessary to overcome these challenges”.
“Colleague Presidents, invited guests, as we embark on this journey together, I am confident that through this important CoSPAL platform, our Parliaments will work with the other arms of government and civil society towards fulfilling the aspirations of the people of the continent who have elected us to represent them and to pursue their interests in securing a brighter future for Africa”.
CoSPAL is the first permanent platform that seeks to unite Speakers and Presidents of legislatures across the African continent to support the agenda for Africa’s growth and sustainable development.
It aimed at expanding the frontiers of parliamentary diplomacy by working in close collaboration with executive arms of government and with other regional and international inter-parliamentary organisations, civil society groups, other key stakeholders, and most importantly, in alignment and close cooperation with the African Union.
Ghanamps.com
The Conference of Speakers and Presidents of African Legislatures (CoSPAL), on Saturday, October 27, 2024 opened its 2nd General Assembly Meeting in Accra, Ghana at the Kempinski Hotel.
The two-day Conference is to consider and adopt the Draft Constitution submitted by the Interim Technical Working Group (ITWG) that was assigned that responsibility at the first General Assembly held in Abuja, Nigeria in May 2022.
The Rt. Hon. A. S. K. Bagbin, Speaker of the Parliament of Ghana and President of the Conference of Speakers and Presidents of African Legislatures (CoSPAL), in his speech charged the conference to ensure deliberations are characterised by constructive and productive dialogue and the sharing of experiences and best practices from various countries and Parliaments.
This, he noted, will not only help strengthen the respective legislatures but also enrich the substance of the discussions during the consideration of the Draft Constitution for CoSPAL.
CoSPAL is the first permanent platform that seeks to unite Speakers and Presidents of legislatures across the African continent to support the agenda for Africa’s growth and sustainable development.
It aimed at expanding the frontiers of parliamentary diplomacy by working in close collaboration with executive arms of government and with other regional and international inter-parliamentary organisations, civil society groups, other key stakeholders, and most importantly, in alignment and close cooperation with the African Union.
That said, the Rt. Hon. A. S. K. Bagbin, the President of the Conference of Speakers and Presidents of African Legislatures (CoSPAL), clarified that CoSPAL was not formed to rival or compete with any existing organisations, or detract from their relevance, or to duplicate their objectives and activities.
On the contrary, CoSPAL was formed to support and complement their work from the unique perspective of African Speakers and Presidents of National Assemblies.
Ghanamps.com
Member of Parliament (MP) for Sefwi Akontombra Alex Tetteh Djornobuah is confident Ghanaians will give the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) clear working Majority in the next ninth Parliament in 2025.
According to him the current government has done a lot of work when it comes to infrastructure and social intervention policies.
And further pointed out that God knows who Ghana’s next President the NPP government under the leadership of the President Nana Akufo-Addo has witnessed a lot of infrastructure and social polices like the Free Senior High School (SHS) and several hospitals have sprung up.
“We cannot finish all within the eight years; what we need is for Ghanaians to give us another mandate to continue with what we are doing. The bible says the hands that laid the foundation should finish that foundation”.
Again, if you have a former president, John Dramani Mahama who says he will not spend two billion Ghana cedi’s on Free SHS and today he is telling Ghanaians he is the one coming to do it best, “should Ghanaians believe in this?” He queried.
In an interview he noted that when one visits his constituency, Sefwi Akontombra the government has done a lot of infrastructure projects including road projects, some of which are still underway that we need to continue.
He appealed to Ghanaians to renew their mandate and added that but for Covid-19 pandemic, Ghanaians know better that things would have been better. “We have done well as a government; we have been truthful to Ghanaians in terms of policies. Before the vice president is declared president, we will get good working Majority in the next Parliament”, he added.
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The second deputy Majority whip, Alex Tetteh Djornobuah has revealed that the Member of Parliament for Agona West Mamle Cynthia Morrison and Suhum Kwadjo Asante were in Parliament on Tuesday, October 22, 2024, after the Supreme Court served Parliament with a court process of stay of execution.
According to him no one from the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has sent a letter to the Speaker Rt. Hon Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin that the two are no more members of the party.
In an interview he noted that the two are members of the 8th Parliament, if they have served intentions to go as independent candidates into the next Parliament which is the 9th Parliament that should not affect them in the current 8th parliament.
And pointed out that the Majority Leader and Leader of Government Business had discussions with them but was quick to point out that the discussion was not conclusive yet as to whether if they will step down from going independent.
“I believe they belong to the elephant family and at the end of the day appeal from the leaders and elders of the party, let us give them sometime probably they will yield to the appeal”, he noted.
Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com
The New Patriotic Party Members of Parliament in accordance with Article 112 (3) of the Constitution of the Republic of Ghana and Standing Order 53 of the Parliament of Ghana have requested the Speaker to recall parliament for a meeting.
In a Memo to the Speaker, dated October 22, 2024 and signed by the Second Deputy Majority Chief Whip, the recall the memo noted will help to consider some urgent matters of national importance.
Among them include
• Request for Tax Exemptions for designated beneficiaries under the One District, One Factory Programme.
• Ghana Financial Stability Fund, and International Development Association facility of Two Hundred and Fifty Million United States Dollars ($250,000,000).
• Bill:
i) Environmental Protection Agency Bill, 2024
ii) Social Protection Bill, 2023
iii) Customs (Amendment) Bill, 2024
iv) Budget Bill, 2023
v) Ghana Boundary Commission Bill, 2023
vi. Intestate Succession Bill, 2022.
“We wish to emphasise that this request is made in utmost good faith and in the national interest, to enable the Government to discharge its Constitutional and Democratic obligations to the people of Ghana. The matters outlined herein are of pressing importance and require the urgent attention of Parliament”.
The request was made barely 24hours after the Speaker Rt. Hon Alban Bagbin adjourned the House Sine die on Tuesday.
Ghanamps.com
Two Members of Parliament from the governing New Patriotic Party, Kwadwo Asante, and Cynthia Morrison have both denied they have rescinded their quest to contest as independent candidates in the upcoming parliamentary elections.
Speculations were rife on social media since yesterday after the Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Alban Bagbin adjourned the House sine die that the two representing Suhum and Agona West Constituencies respectively, and happened to be among the four seats declared vacant by the Speaker for filing to contest as independent candidates have decided to reconcile with their mother party thereby withdrawing their candidature as going independent.
Speaking on Onua TV Maakye programme with Captain Smart, the Suhum MP, Kwadwo Asante, denied ever taking such a decision; and instead affirmed that he is still in the race.
He revealed that “Annor Dompreh removed me from the Majority Caucus WhatsApp platform because I was going independent.
Immediately the Speaker of Parliament gave the ruling, the same Annor Dompreh quickly added me when the Supreme Court ruled on the stay application. Annor Dompreh thinks he is smart. When he added me back to the WhatsApp platform, I decided not to speak until I saw the fake news that I have decided not to go independent again. It is not true. I am the independent candidate in Suhum”.
Cynthia Morrison also denied on TV3 Evening news that such decision had been taken, adding she is still in the race.
The NPP needs superior numbers in parliament to avert the stalemate that currently characterized the legislature as they have been pushed into the Minority having lost three members to the Speaker’s ruling.
Ghanamps.com
The National Democratic Congress caucus in parliament has expressed satisfaction with the Speaker Rt. Hon. Alban Bagbin’s handling of the stalemate in parliament over the shift in power.
The Speaker on Tuesday, October 22, 2024 adjourned the House indefinitely citing the current circumstances; the fact that there is a question on the composition and constitution of parliament, and having regard for the public interest, and the exigencies of the state of affairs in parliament.
Dr. Ato Forson, the new Majority Leader hailed the Speaker for his decision, adding that parliament can reconvene after the election in December to pass the estimate in advance of appropriation before the first of January.
Ahmed Ibrahim, MP for Banda who affirmed the position of the their leader said the Rt. Hon. Speaker, being a statesman and a matured seasoned politician, and one of the senior citizens of the land, couldn’t have done any better to salvage the situation.
According to him, the Speaker called the two sides earlier and informed them that having received the ruling from the Supreme Court and the public support each side was getting, he foresaw chaos and doesn’t want that to happen, and would thus adjourn the House indefinitely.
Mr Ahmed Ibrahim said the break would allow for the two sides to engage various stakeholders to ensure they reach an agreement that would avert any further confusion in the House.
Ghanamps.com
The Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Alban Sumana Bagbin has adjourned the House sine die.
The Speaker, who presided over a one sided National Democratic Congress (NDC) Members of parliament seated at the Majority side of the House acknowledged receipt of the Supreme Court ruling, but did not however, specify whether he was adhering to it or not.
Thus, the dilemma of which side is in the Majority and vice versa still lingers on.
What he was however emphatic about was the fact that the House has the numbers to transact business but not enough to take decisions.
According to him, having consulted the leadership of the two sides, he has taken the decision to adjourn the House sine die in the interest of the country.
“In view of the current circumstances, the fact that there is a question on the composition and constitution of parliament, and having regard for the public interest, and the exigencies of the state of affairs in parliament, I will proceed to in accordance with standing orders 59 adjourn the house indefinitely, that is sine die”, he stated.
It is worth of note that the New Patriotic Party Members of Parliament had vacated the House prior to the commencement of proceedings.
Ghanamps.com
