The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has responded to criticisms from some Members of Parliament regarding his decision to adjourn the House indefinitely on November 7, 2024, following a previous adjournment on October 22.
The NPP caucus leader in Parliament and MP for the Effutu constituency, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, strongly criticized Speaker Bagbin’s decision, labeling it as harmful to parliamentary order and democracy.
Speaker Bagbin’s decision to adjourn was a result of the Majority MPs’ absence, who failed to attend the recall session initiated by their own caucus. Furthermore, the lack of an Order Paper, due to the Business Committee’s failure to convene, left the House unable to conduct any business.
In a statement to the media, Alexander Afenyo-Markin accused the Speaker of inciting disorder and undermining the democratic integrity of Ghana.
“What Mr. Speaker did today amounts to supervising chaos and bringing the image of our democracy into disrepute. The NDC minority members were all over, claiming that we, the Majority, did not attend a so-called Business Committee meeting that they called. Clearly, the NDC is on a warpath. They want confusion in this country. They want lawlessness in this country. And all of this is being supervised by Mr. Speaker. It is sad.”
However, commenting on the issue on Monday, December 16, 2024—the first sitting of the House after the December 7 general elections—the Speaker expressed disappointment at the criticisms, suggesting that those condemning his actions need further education.
“Those who believe I erred in my ruling may need to be taken to school. I am not sure they read the ruling very well, and that ruling worked in their favour. Honourable Majority Leader, it actually worked in your favour. For you to come here and try to impugn that ruling, I was truly surprised. The public is listening to us and could be misled. I gave about three reasons for my decision, and I am sure you did not pay attention to the third reason why I adjourned the meeting indefinitely.
“I listened to some of you debate this matter on air, and I thought you should have been commending me for adjourning it, but instead, you were condemning me. It saddened me, but I understand the arena we are in, so I have taken it in my stride.”
The Speaker also emphasized the need for further training for MPs to enhance their understanding of parliamentary procedures.
“As we go along, we will have to deepen the orientation and training of Members of Parliament so that the public does not become confused by you, the leaders who should know better, but instead end up misleading them.”
