In an unexpected development, Speaker of Parliament Rt. Hon. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin has adjourned the House indefinitely after a special session of the 4th meeting of the 8th Parliament was unable to proceed due to the absence of members from the New Patriotic Party (NPP) caucus who initiated it.
In his official address, to the House, Speaker Bgbin noted that the session was called following two formal recall requests made on October 22, 2024, and October 24, 2024.
In his remarks to the House, Rt. Hon. Alban Bagbin explained the basis for the recall, stating that both requests met the constitutional requirement of being signed by over 15% of the Members of Parliament.
“The first request urged the House to deliberate upon and transact urgent government business. And the businesses were tabulated, and from what we had, there were not many just a few. The second request dated the 24th simply added minimal items for the consideration of the house.
“So from the initial request for us to consider 5 items, this second request added 17 more items. And this request came from the NPP members of parliament and it was signed on their behalf by their 2nd Deputy Whip, Honourable Alex Tetteh, George Dubois; in fact, both requests were signed by him”.
Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin
Absence of the Proposers, Procedural Consequences and Adjournment
Despite procedural measures to notify members via a published summons, the NPP members who initiated the recall were absent from the session. Expressing his concern, Rt. Hon. Bagbin decried the unavailability of the New Patriotic Party members of Parliament.
“Unfortunately, the signatories who made a request have not shown up, and therefore, matters that they wanted us to handle which are admitted for the consideration of the business committee are not on the other paper so we have no business before us to transact”.
Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin
The Speaker highlighted that according to parliamentary rules, the Business Committee must prepare a report that the House adopts to move forward with proceedings, adding that without this report, there was no constitutional basis for addressing any matters.
“As you know, the Business Committee prepares a report which the House must adopt as its agreed agenda for the week,” Rt. Hon. Bagbin clarified.
He indicated that due to the absence of this report and those who requested the recall, he had no choice but to adjourn the session. “In light of the Business Committee’s inability to meet due to the absence of the proposers, we have no option but to adjourn the session,” he announced.
Mindful of Parliament’s ongoing challenges, the Speaker decided it was not practical to adjourn the session daily. He declared an indefinite adjournment, saying, “Given the difficulties, we are currently facing, adjourning on a day-to-day basis is not advisable. I therefore declare this extraordinary session adjourned indefinitely”.
This indefinite adjournment leaves urgent government issues and the 22 proposed discussion items in procedural limbo, further complicating Parliament’s legislative agenda in an already charged political climate.
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