Afenyo-Markin accuses Speaker Bagbin of "supervising chaos" as Parliament adjourned indefinitely

Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin has accused Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin of enabling disorder in the House by allowing what he described as "lawlessness" by National Democratic Congress (NDC) MPs. 

The accusation comes after NDC MPs once again occupied seats on the Majority side during proceedings on Thursday, November 7, 2024.

At a press conference, Mr. Afenyo-Markin criticised Speaker Bagbin’s handling of recent parliamentary sessions, expressing disappointment in what he termed a "non-reconciliatory posture."

He alleged, “The Speaker supervised chaos… clearly the NDC is on a war path; they want confusion and they want lawlessness in this country and all these are being supervised by Mr Speaker.” Mr. Afenyo-Markin further accused the Speaker of “setting the country on fire,” adding that the Majority had hoped for a more statesmanlike approach from Bagbin.

The tension follows Speaker Bagbin’s decision to adjourn Parliament indefinitely due to a lack of quorum. 

On November 7, when the House reconvened after an earlier indefinite adjournment on October 22, NPP MPs were notably absent, leading the Speaker to declare there was no quorum to conduct business. 

"We have no business before us to transact… In view of the failure of the Business Committee to sit as a result of a refusal of those who requested for a recall, we are once again adjourning the House indefinitely," Mr. Bagbin stated.

The NPP Caucus had initially requested an emergency recall of Parliament following the October 22 adjournment, citing pressing government business that required attention. 

In a memo to the Speaker, the NPP Caucus highlighted the need to address urgent matters upon Parliament's return. However, on November 7, the NPP MPs did not attend the session or present the business order for which they had sought the recall.

In response, the Leader of the NDC Caucus, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, explained that his side of the House attended the Business Committee meeting, only to discover that NPP members did not show up. 

Speaking after the House adjourned, Dr Forson said, “This morning at about seven o’clock, we showed up at the Business Committee meeting and we noticed that the NPP members of the Business Committee once again failed to show up.” He added that efforts to reach NPP MPs for clarity were unsuccessful.

Dr Forson further disclosed that he contacted the Committee clerk, who informed him she was out of the country and had not received any information regarding the day’s agenda.

“This morning at about seven o’clock, we showed up at the Business Committee meeting and we noticed that the NPP members of the Business Committee once again failed to show up.

“I personally called the Committee clerk, and I was informed that she is out of the jurisdiction and no one had called to inform her about the Business of the day.

“I was worried and reached out to the NPP side to have an indication as to what their plan is, no one responded,” Dr. Forson explained.