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Tag: Bagbin is operating within his role

  • Speaker Bagbin slams NPP MPs for boycotting workshop in Ho

    Speaker Bagbin slams NPP MPs for boycotting workshop in Ho

    The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has expressed disapproval over the New Patriotic Party (NPP) caucus’s decision to boycott a three-day orientation workshop for Members of Parliament, citing cost concerns.

    He deemed the boycott unacceptable. Speaking at the workshop on Monday, March 3, 2025, Bagbin urged the Minority MPs to transcend political differences for the benefit of the nation.

    “Don’t allow political differences to control you, nor let our history trap you,” he emphasized, calling this one of the country’s biggest challenges.

    He further pointed out that the choice of venues for such workshops should not be dictated by partisan interests.

    “Please don’t allow your political differences to enslave you. Don’t be also enslaved by our history. That’s one of the biggest challenges we have in this country,” he stated.

    Bagbin went on to explain the process behind selecting the venue for the workshop.

    “The final results are brought to the Speaker. And until I have a very good reason why it shouldn’t be at that place; I just give my [approval]. And to have 276 Members of Parliament and staff, because the staff work with you. And if you don’t build the capacity of the staff, the institution, they will not be in the position to serve you, to provide what you need to be able to satisfy the immeasurable, unlimited demands of the country, of your people, and of the world,” he added.

    Organized by the Parliamentary Training Institute (PTI), the workshop began on Saturday, March 1, 2025, and is scheduled to conclude on Monday, March 3, 2025.

    However, the NPP MPs chose to boycott the event, raising concerns about the venue and the associated costs, suggesting that Parliament House would have been a more suitable location.

  • There’s no order negating Bagbin’s decision on vacant seats – Thaddeus Sory

    There’s no order negating Bagbin’s decision on vacant seats – Thaddeus Sory

    The legal representative of the Speaker of Parliament, Thaddeus Sory, has argued that the Supreme Court of Ghana did not issue any specific directive to nullify the Speaker’s declaration that four parliamentary seats were vacant.

    On November 12, 2024, the Supreme Court ruled 5-2 that the Speaker’s decision to declare vacant the seats of four MPs who filed to contest the 2024 elections as independents or with different parties was unconstitutional.

    In response to the ruling, which was made public on Thursday, Sory took to Facebook to explain that the case filed by Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin did not seek to annul the Speaker’s declaration.

    This is because the declaration had not been made at the time the original complaint was filed. He stated that if the plaintiff intended to challenge the Speaker’s statement, the complaint should have been formally amended to include it.

    Sory further emphasized that the court, in its ruling, acknowledged that the plaintiff did not update the case to include the Speaker’s declaration.

    Despite this, the court proceeded to consider the new information. Justice Asare Darko, who authored the lead judgment, admitted that the court should not have addressed the Speaker’s statement due to the lack of formal legal action.

    Regarding the court’s orders, Sory clarified that the final ruling did not invalidate the Speaker’s decision.

    Instead, the court disagreed with the Speaker’s interpretation of the law but did not issue any orders against him.

    He pointed out that this rendered the earlier temporary order against the Speaker ineffective and no final order was given for Parliament to recognize the MPs impacted by the Speaker’s declaration.