Category: General

The Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Alban Bagbin said the so-called MP-elects
from the Electoral Commission’s re-collation and re-declaration exercise are not qualified to be sworn in by him.

Speaking at a Citation Awards ceremony organized by the National Democratic Congress’ Professionals Forum at the D. F Annan Auditorium in Parliament on Saturday, December 28, 2024 where the Speaker was honoured with a Citation for his leadership role, Mr. Bagbin revealed that the decision of the Supreme Court just follows the position he took.

“The decision of the Supreme Court just follows the position I took before even they delivered their position”.

According to him, to become a Member of Parliament, “you have to be elected by the voter; and you have to be declared by the Electoral Commission; and you have to be sworn in by the Speaker.

Until you are sworn–in by the Speaker, you remain an MP-elect”.

“So I was very clear in my mind that some of those re-collations and re-declarations were completely null and void. They were unknown to the law and so they were not properly so-called MPs-elect, and not qualified to be sworn in by the Speaker”.

He said when he discussed his position with the Clark of Parliament and others, they were surprised, but “I told them, Yes, I’m a gatekeeper; the right thing must be done for us to be able to reset Ghana”.

The Supreme Court on Friday, December 27, 2024 quashed the re-collated exercise done by the Electoral Commission in four constituencies including Ablekuma North, Okaikoi Central, Tema Central, and Techiman South but upheld the re-collated results of Ahafo Ano North and Nsawam Adoagyiri because their results were not declared earlier at the constituency levels.

This was after the High Court on December 20, 2024 ordered the Electoral Commission to re-collate results in nine constituencies facing dispute which order the EC followed.

Ghanamps.com

Chairmen of Committees on the Majority side are appealing to the leadership of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to maintain the current leadership in the upcoming 9th Parliament which starts January 7, 2024.

Chairman of the Education Committee, Kwabena Amankwah Asiamah who addressed the media on Friday, December 27, 2024 indicated they have acquired a lot of experience and should be maintained.

According to him with the outcome of the December 7, 2024 election and the defeat the party suffered their numbers have gone down.

And to have a strong Minority side the current leadership in the 8th Parliament should be maintained.

These include Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, Frank Annoh Dompreh, Habib Idrissu, and Patricia Agyiri.
He further noted that the decision would be good for Ghana’s democracy.

“They are the right caliber of people to lead the party this time around, with the exception of Alex Tetteh, Second Deputy Majority Whip who lost”.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

The Apex Court of the land on Friday, December 27, 2024 has quashed the re-collated exercise done by the Electoral Commission in four constituencies including Ablekuma North, Okaikoi Central, Tema Central, and Techima South.

Meanwhile, the re-collated results of Ahafo Ano North and Nsawam Adoagyiri were upheld by the Court because their results were not declared at all.

According to the court, the trial judge in the December 20, 2024 ruling violated the rights to a hearing of the NDC Parliamentary Candidates when they applied to the High Court.

The High Court on December 20, 2024 ordered the Electoral Commission to re-collate results in nine constituencies facing dispute.

This followed a mandamus application filed by parliamentary candidates of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), stating discrepancies in the tabulated results that enabled gave the National Democratic Congress, NDC candidates to be declared winners.

But the NDC described the ruling of the High Court as unlawful and challenged the ruling at the Supreme Court which ruling quashed the re-collation at the four constituencies.

Meanwhile, the EC failed to complete the re-collation of Dome-Kwabenya and Ablekuma North.

Ghanamps.com

The Electoral Commission (EC) has begun declaring winners for the nine disputed parliamentary constituencies following the re-collation of results mandated by the Accra High Court. Below are the declared winners so far:

1. Obuasi East Constituency (Ashanti Region)

Mr. Patrick Boakye-Yiadom, the incumbent New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP), retained his seat. He secured 18,558 votes, narrowly defeating Samuel Aboagye of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), who polled 18,539 votes. An independent candidate, Adjei Owusu Afriyie, garnered 424 votes. The declaration was made by the Returning Officer, Frederick Mensah, in Accra.

2. Nsawam-Adoagyiri Constituency (Eastern Region)

Mr. Frank Annoh-Dompreh, the incumbent Member of Parliament (MP) for Nsawam-Adoagyiri and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary candidate, has been declared the winner following the re-collation exercise at the Greater Accra Regional Electoral Commission office in Ridge. Mr. Annoh-Dompreh secured 29,640 votes, while Fummey Philibert of the National Democratic Congress garnered 29,433 votes.

The Electoral Commission (EC) has paused the re-collation exercise for the Dome Kwabenya and Ablekuma North parliamentary constituencies, citing unresolved issues with missing pink sheets and disputes over key election documents.

The re-collation exercise for Dome Kwabenya and Ablekuma North, part of the nine constituencies identified for review following a High Court ruling on alleged election irregularities, has been halted.

So far, the EC has completed the re-collation for seven constituencies, all favoring the New Patriotic Party (NPP), including Ahafo Ano North, Techiman South, and Tema Central.

In Ablekuma North, the returning officer failed to provide the required pink sheets, with 62 still outstanding, preventing the completion of the re-collation process.

For Dome Kwabenya, pink sheets for three polling stations are only available in soft copy. Both the NPP and National Democratic Congress (NDC) failed to supply the hard copies, with the NPP blaming violent disruptions during the initial collation for the missing documents.

The re-collation was conducted under heavy security of joint military and police forces ensuring order. Despite the suspension, the EC reassured stakeholders of its dedication to resolving the issues in both constituencies.

Ghanamps.com

Finance Minister’s delay leaves Ghana on edge amidst fears of a January Government Shutdown.

Ghana’s Parliament has been adjourned to January 2, 2024, following the Finance Minister, Dr. Mohammed Amin Adam’s failure to present the anticipated 2025 Mini-Budget before the end of the current session.

The Mini-Budget, a constitutional requirement to outline the fiscal outlook for the upcoming year, was expected to address critical economic priorities, including revenue generation and expenditure planning. Its absence has sparked fears of a potential government shutdown on January 1, 2025.

Speaker Alban Bagbin adjourned proceedings amid heightened tensions, leaving lawmakers and stakeholders questioning the government’s preparedness for a smooth fiscal transition.

Minority Leader Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson expressed dismay, accusing the outgoing administration of neglecting its duty to ensure public services are funded in early 2025.

He assured Ghanaians that the incoming NDC government would act swiftly after taking office on January 7, 2025.
In contrast, Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin attributed the delay to the “lawlessness” of the Minority and assured that the Finance Minister would submit the expenditure proposal when Parliament resumes.

Ghanamps.com

The Speaker of Parliament Rt. Hon Alban Sumana Bagbin has served notice that the grand Arena of the Accra International Conference Centre will serve as the meeting place as the House has been recalled back after the indefinite suspension.

A statement from the Speaker’s office on Thursday, December 12, 2024 indicated that the seventh meeting of the fourth Session of the Eighth Parliament of the Fourth Republic will hold on Monday, December 16, 2024.

In an earlier visit to the floor of Parliament on Wednesday, December 11, 2024 Ghanamps.com reporter observed work ongoing steadily in preparation to receive members of Parliament elected for the 9th Parliament.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Alhaji Muntaka Mohammed Mubarak, Member of Parliament for Asawase has attributed his continued triumph in the parliamentary elections over the years, to the profound bond he has with the people.

“My continue stay in power is not a product of financial influence, but rather, the trust and faith the people of Asawase have in me as their representative in parliament”, Alhaji Muntaka, told the media after he was declared as the MP-elect for the constituency by the Electoral Commission.

He pointed out that though wealth was important, love surpassed its significance, adding that “with genuine affection towards fellow human beings, the prospect of failure diminishes.”

Alhaji Muntaka secured his sixth consecutive term as NDC MP for Asawase in the December 07, 2024 elections.

He polled 41,667 out of the 73,001 valid votes cast to beat Manaf Ibrahim of the NPP, who had 31,049 votes.

GNA

The Electoral Commission has overturned the earlier declaration of Haruna Apaw-Wiredu of the Opposition National Democratic Congress as winner of Fanteakwa North Constituency after a pink sheet review.

Initially, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate, Haruna Apaw-Wiredu, was declared the winner on December 10, 2024, after securing 11,138 votes as against Kwame Appiah Kodua’s 10,847.

However, disputes over pink sheets from two polling stations prompted the EC to halt proceedings for further review.

In a decisive turn, the Deputy Returning Officer announced that the seat now belongs to the NPP candidate, overturning the earlier result

This development marks a dramatic shift in the constituency’s electoral outcome.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Leader of the ECOWAS Parliamentary delegation observing Ghana’s Presidential and Parliamentary election held on December 7, 2024 Senator Edwin Melvin Snowe Jr. has praised Ghana for its shining democratic credentials in the just ended polls.

According to him since 1992 Ghana has earned that enviable position with always peaceful transition and election, as in any election there will be contestation and disagreement.

“The will of Ghanaians have always been respected. If there is the need to challenge things through the legal system, it is done and all parties have respected the outcome of the legal system. We are not surprised that the elections have gone on so peacefully”.

In an interview he pointed out that election started on time, on Saturday, December 7, 2024, when he visited some polling stations at the 37 Military Hospital, Osu, and reports that reach their situation room indicates that across the length and breadth of the Country everything went on well.

And further noted that there were some challenges in the Northern part of the Country but in general it was a peaceful election, and the issue of limiting media access to the collation center, was also addressed.

Additionally, he noted that the ECOWAS observer mission does not interfere in the electoral process of any member states when there are issues with the process of the election, but as preventive diplomacy, they can make suggestions to the Electoral Commission.

And he believes the directive to limit media access to the collation centers should be reversed.

Senator Snowe Jr. was impressed with the two major political parties; the New Patriotic Party (NPP), and National Democratic Congress (NDC) having their seals on the ballot box and well represented by their agents on the voting day.

And provision was made for the visual impaired person to cast their ballot as well as person with disabilities, and hoped that Ghana will leave up to expectation with its democratic credential she has won for itself over the years.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

A number of incumbent New Patriotic Members of Parliament have lost their seats in the just ended December 7, 2024 Parliamentary elections and will not be returning to the ninth Parliament.

The major wave of change was visited upon these personalities Darkoa Newman of Okaikwei South, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful of Ablekuma West, Henry Quartey of Ayawaso Central, Sylvester Tetteh of Bortianor Ngleshie Amanfro, Andrew Kofi Egyapa Mercer of Sekondi.

The others are Ophelia Mensah H. of Mfantseman, Lydia Seyram Alhassan, Ayawaso West Wuogon; Dr. Prince Armah, MP for Kwesimintsim; Andy Appiah Kubi, Asante Akyem North; Farouk Mahama, Yendi; Mireku Duker, Tarkwa-Nsuaem; John Peter Amewu, Hohoe; Twum Barima, Dormaa East.
Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com