Afenyo-Markin vows to recall Parliament amid Speaker's adjournment

Accra, Ghana -  October 22, 2024 -  Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin has vowed to trigger a recall of Parliament on Wednesday, October 23, in response to Speaker Alban Bagbin's indefinite adjournment of the House.

Afenyo-Markin expressed concerns over the Speaker's decision on Citi FM's Eyewitness News, accusing National Democratic Congress (NDC) MPs of obstructing parliamentary business and attempting to derail Ghana's economy.

“God willing, tomorrow [Wednesday, October 23], the Majority will trigger the recall of Parliament because the actions of the Speaker are undermining Parliamentary work so that the economy will suffer and so we will trigger the recall of Parliament and we will see what he [Bagbin] will do.

“A court has ordered you to take action and you are going around the issue meanwhile he is not Parliament so we will trigger a recall.”

Speaker Bagbin announced the indefinite adjournment of parliamentary proceedings on Tuesday, October 22 after a tussle over which caucus was to sit on the Majority side of the House.

The Speaker announced that his decision to adjourn the House was reached after consultation with leadership which Afenyo-Markin disagreed.

“He [Bagbin] respectfully invited us to his office for a meeting and said he had received the court ruling and was going to inform the House and that many people had visited him and asked for more time for consultation and that he was going to adjourn the House and I asked him what about the Supreme Court’s ruling.

“I drew his attention that his colleagues had taken our seats and he said he is not responsible for the seating in Parliament but the Clerk and I asked the Clerk if he changed the name tags and he said no. It is like when the Minority speaks, he is taken aback and behaves as if he is afraid of somebody,'' he stated.

The dispute centers on which caucus holds the majority, with the NPP and NDC locked in a heated battle.

Speaker Bagbin's decision to adjourn the House followed a tussle over seating arrangements.

Afenyo-Markin disputed the Speaker's claim that the decision was made after consultation with leadership.

Source: Lead News Online