The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has strongly condemned Speaker Alban Bagbin’s suspension of three of its MPs, criticizing his actions as “selective and autocratic”.
The Speaker’s decision came after a contentious ministerial vetting process, where tensions reportedly escalated, resulting in property damage.
However, the NPP party expressed concerns that these actions by the Speaker are part of a broader attempt to intimidate the Minority, undermining its ability to effectively hold the government accountable.
According to the NPP, the Speaker’s conduct threatens the integrity of parliamentary proceedings and poses a dangerous precedent for the future of democratic discourse within the legislature.
The NPP emphasized that such moves only serve to weaken the opposition’s role in ensuring checks and balances within the government.
“The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has learnt with scorn that the Rt. Hon. Speaker on Friday 31st January 2025 unilaterally suspended three (3) of its Members of Parliament.
“The Party calls on ALL, especially its Hon. Members of Parliament, to be assured of the Party’s unflinching support at all material times…”
New Patriotic Party (NPP)
The three MPs in question, Frank Annoh-Dompreh, Alhassan Sulemana Tampuli, and Jerry Ahmed Shaib, along with the NDC’s Chief Whip, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, were at the center of the scuffle during the recent vetting process.
In response to the incident, Speaker Alban Bagbin has suspended these MPs from parliamentary activities for a period of two weeks.
Following this suspension, they are set to appear before Parliament’s Privileges Committee, while the Appointment Committee itself is to be reconstituted.
This decision to reconstitute the Appointment Committee has sparked a debate about whether the vetting process should continue in the meantime.
There are also questions about whether the statutory members of the Committee, as outlined in Parliament’s standing orders, will remain part of the restructured body.
These issues are now central to discussions on how parliamentary procedures should proceed amidst the ongoing political tension.
Meanwhile, the committee tasked with investigating the recent chaos during the ministerial vetting process its probe into the issue on Thursday, January 30.
Minority Gets NPP’s Support Amid Speaker’s Suspension Rejection
Furthermore, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) firmly expressed its full support for the press conference held by the Minority Caucus on 3rd February 2025, along with the follow-up briefings that followed.
The NPP underscored its alignment with the points raised by the Minority, acknowledging the significance of their position and the importance of their ongoing efforts to address the issues at hand.
The party reiterated its commitment to backing the Minority’s stance in the face of the current parliamentary challenges, emphasizing its shared goals for transparency and accountability in the legislative process.
“In this spirit, the Party wishes to state that it does not accept the decision of the Speaker to suspend its Members; which is in flagrant disregard for the Constitution of the Republic and as well as the rules of Natural justice”.
New Patriotic Party (NPP)
The Party once again affirmed its unwavering support for its eighty-eight (88) “courageous” Members of Parliament, emphasizing their commitment to confronting any form of repression and injustice in the application of parliamentary rules and national laws.
According to the NPP, it stands united in its resolve to address all instances of unfair treatment that will be meted out to its members in parliament.
The party emphasized that it will ensure that the rights and duties of MPs are upheld and that the integrity of Parliament is preserved for the benefit of the nation.
Meanwhile, the NPP also expressed concerns that its smaller representation in Parliament has led to what it describes as discriminatory and intimidating behavior from the NDC’s two-thirds majority.
The opposition party argued that this majority has been leveraging its power to stifle the NPP’s ability to hold the government accountable.
According to the NPP, this troubling dynamic is an attempt to undermine the Minority’s role in Parliament, with the ruling party using its numbers to bully the NPP.
This, the Minority noted, impedes its ability to perform its constitutional duties and carry out its responsibilities as the official opposition.
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