After Speaker Alban Bagbin adjourned the House indefinitely on Tuesday, October 22, the Minority caucus in Parliament claimed to have secured the majority position.
The adjournment occurred following a tense session, in which the Speaker mentioned that there were not enough Members of Parliament (MPs) present to continue with business.
Recent declaration by Speaker Bagbin of four parliamentary seats as vacant has led to the parliamentary impasse.
Dr. Cassiel Forson, the Minority Leader, filed a motion based on constitutional provisions regarding MPs who had changed parties or ran as independents. The impacted seats consist of MPs representing Fomena, Suhum, Agona West, and Amenfi Central.
While the Supreme Court granted a stay of execution on Bagbin’s ruling, delaying the immediate vacation of the seats, the Minority party continues to assert that the Speaker’s decision has tilted the power balance in their direction.
During his interview on Channel One TV, Mahama Ayariga, the MP for Bawku Central, supported the stance of the Minority. He claimed that the ruling made by the Speaker, which declared the four seats vacant, is valid and the NDC MPs will not back down to the NPP unless the Speaker changes his mind.
Ayariga also mentioned that the Minority would follow the Speaker’s instruction to adjourn and go back to their constituencies, where they would wait for a new Parliament session to be scheduled.
He emphasized that their caucus would maintain their position as the majority until a final resolution is reached in Parliament.
The legislative process has been clouded by uncertainty due to the parliamentary standoff, and both parties are now waiting to see what happens next.
We are the Majority [NDC Minority], and despite the Speaker’s directive, we have made it clear that we will only reconsider our stance if the Speaker changes his communication.
As far as we are concerned, the Speaker’s statement regarding the number of people present in the house remains valid. He has not changed anything up. I can assure you that we consider ourselves the majority and will act accordingly. There is no issue. There is no issue. We will return to our districts and focus on our election campaign, that’s it.”
He argued that Ghanaians’ actions would not have any negative impact on government business and dismissed concerns about potential consequences for them. He claimed that the government was mishandling the economy.
What proper businesses could have been conducted by this government in this period to alleviate the suffering of Ghanaians?
This morning, tight security measures were in place before the start of parliamentary proceedings. The Majority party left the session, leaving the Minority party behind.
