The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin
The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has rescinded his suspension of the four Members of Parliament (MPs) he suspended on Friday, January 31, 2025.
The four legislators, namely Frank Annoh-Dompreh (Nsawam-Adoagyiri MP), Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor (South Dayi MP), Alhassan Tampuli (Gushegu MP), and Jerry Ahmed Shaib (Weija-Gbawe MP), were suspended by the Speaker over the chaos that was seen in Parliament during the ministerial vetting on Thursday, January 30, 2025.
Addressing the House on Tuesday, February 4, 2025, Speaker Bagbin said that the suspension of the four MPs had been immediately lifted.
He stated that his decision to rescind the suspension was due to the apologies rendered over the incident by the leadership of the House.
He added that both the leadership of the Majority and Minority caucuses had shown remorse over the incident and pledged that it would never happen again.
“The rules are very clear, and I did refer to them and stated clearly that because we are in the transitional mode, we’ve not been able to put committees in place, including that of the Privileges and Immunities Committee. The standing orders grant me the power and authority to do what I did.
“And clearly, the jurisprudence is very clear that when contempt is committed in facie curiae, you don’t proceed to set up another committee or court or whatever to investigate and submit a report,” the Speaker said.
He added, “So I have lifted the suspension order, and I do so instantly, taking effect immediately.”
Before the Speaker’s suspension was lifted, Minority Leader Alexander Kwamina Afenyo-Markin presented a statement on the incident, in which he rendered a passionate apology.
His statement was supported by the Majority Leader, Mahama Ayariga, who also expressed regret over the incident.
About the parliamentary fracas:
The altercation stemmed from the vetting of Minister of Health-designate Kwabena Mintah Akandoh and Minister of Foreign Affairs-designate Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa.
The Minority Caucus accused the Majority Caucus of violating an agreement to vet only four nominees for the day, which led to heated exchanges.
Tensions escalated into physical confrontations, with microphones and furniture destroyed, and one of the vetting tables overturned.
Following the incident, the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, suspended four Members of Parliament for two weeks.
As confirmed by GhanaWeb’s George Ayisi, a special parliamentary committee, chaired by Ho West MP Emmanuel Bedzrah, has been tasked with investigating the incident and submitting a report within 10 days.
Additionally, Speaker Bagbin directed the Clerk of Parliament to file a formal complaint with the Ghana Police Service for a criminal investigation into the MPs’ conduct.
The Speaker also declared that no public funds would be used to repair damaged parliamentary properties and that MPs found culpable would be surcharged for the repairs.
BAI/MA