Alban Bagbin
Speaker Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin has been addressing the controversy surrounding the sudden adjournment of the House on July 30, 2024.
The Speaker of Parliament said the decision to adjourn was not made unilaterally or in isolation but rather was informed by the Parliamentary Calendar of the Fourth Session of the Eighth Parliament.
The Speaker explained that the guideline to adjourn at the end of July was discussed and agreed upon during pre-sitting meetings with Leaders, weeks before the actual adjournment date.
There are allegations that the Speaker did not engage leadership before abruptly adjourning the House sinedie and that he carried out the act in order to pave way for his outside engagement.
Another source also alleged that the Speaker sent the MPs home for the House to paid recall allowance since most of the MPs are broke and needed money for their campaign.
However Bagbin says nothing of the allegations informed the decision to se d the MPs home.
He emphasized that he consistently communicated the agreed adjournment date to the House throughout the meetings, as evident in the official reports and voice and video recordings of proceedings.
Mr Bagbin dismissed accusations that he prioritized international travels over parliamentary business and unilaterally decided to adjourn the House.
He stated that these claims were unfounded and made in bad faith, reiterating that the adjournment was neither sudden nor unilateral.
However, he has recalled Parliament to sit on 3rd September at 10:00 am.
Below is the Parliament Recall Statement:
-BY Daniel Bampoe
