Afenyo-Markin Criticizes Speaker Bagbin Over Refusal to Reconvene Parliament

The Majority Leader in Parliament, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has sharply criticized the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, over his decision not to reconvene the House for urgent government business. Afenyo-Markin accused the Speaker of treating Parliament as his personal property and making arbitrary decisions regarding its reopening.

In an interview with JoyNews, Afenyo-Markin expressed frustration at the Speaker’s decision, stating, "Today, the Speaker has taken Parliament as his personal property. As and when it pleases him, he opens Parliament. Even when there is an issue that he could sit with us on, he says no."

The Majority Leader had formally requested the Speaker to recall Parliament before the end of November to deliberate on pressing government issues. However, Bagbin, in a response dated November 26, declined the request, stating that Parliament would reconvene only after the December 7 general elections.

Afenyo-Markin raised concerns about the implications of this decision, arguing that it obstructs critical legislative processes and undermines the smooth functioning of government operations. He described the Speaker’s refusal as unacceptable, accusing him of intentionally hindering government activities.

Referring to previous disputes, Afenyo-Markin said, "Look at the recent case, they themselves created this impasse. We [NPP], as law-abiding citizens, took the matter to court. The court ruled in our favour. They contested the case and lost. I was expecting Mr. Speaker to immediately open Parliament as a Democrat, to say that government business must go on. I waited upon him, he did not. When I finally wrote to him to open Parliament for us to do government business, look at his response. He's not ready."

The Majority Leader also accused the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) and its flagbearer, John Dramani Mahama, of influencing the Speaker’s decision. He alleged that the NDC had submitted a counter-petition urging Bagbin not to recall Parliament, which he described as an attempt to "hold the government hostage."

“The response of the NDC is clear. They wrote a counter-petition saying Mr. Speaker should not open Parliament. The flagbearer of the NDC also said the same thing. What they are doing is holding government hostage,” Afenyo-Markin asserted.

He questioned whether the Speaker would even reopen Parliament after the elections and suggested that a decisive victory for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the elections would leave Bagbin with no choice but to facilitate government business.

“Are we even sure that he would open Parliament? That’s the question. But the answer lies in we [NPP] winning massively. And once we win massively and we come, he would have no choice,” Afenyo-Markin said.

He also expressed skepticism about relying on the Speaker’s commitments, recalling an instance when Bagbin adjourned Parliament indefinitely despite the government’s efforts to facilitate proceedings.

The Speaker’s decision has sparked a political standoff, with the Majority Leader accusing Bagbin of acting out of mischief and the opposition party defending his actions. As the December elections draw closer, the controversy adds another layer of tension to Ghana’s political landscape.