The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has urged Members of Parliament who disagree with his directives on how caucus leaders should be appointed to proceed to court.
Alban Bagbin, on Wednesday, February 21, clarified that the majority caucus in Parliament does not have the authority to independently appoint its leaders without the involvement of the political party overseeing the process.
Making the statement on the floor of parliament, the Speaker underscored the crucial role of the political party in guiding and influencing the selection of leaders within the majority.
This clarification by the Speaker comes at a time when reports indicate that the ruling party is planning to change the leaders of its majority caucus in Parliament.
He insisted that the parliamentary protocol binds all MPs until a court of competent jurisdiction proves otherwise.
“It’s a matter that I will come out with a written reason for this house, but in the meantime, this is the position of the speaker. And I do so under the same standing orders, where there’s a doubt, it’s the speaker’s opinion that prevails.
“Anybody that disagrees with that you have your front, to proceed to the proper venue to contest my opinion. You come on the ticket of the party, and to appoint your leader, the party must lead the process.
“If you disagree with me, you proceed to the courts to get it changed. But as of now, this is binding on all of you. I don’t know how you can do that without the party or parties.”
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Meanwhile, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Bawku Central, Mahama Ayariga, believes it is wrong for MPs to consider themselves entirely autonomous from their political parties within parliament.
Ayariga highlighted the crucial role political parties play in guiding and influencing the selection of parliamentary leaders. This statement comes amid a controversy within the majority caucus regarding a speculated leadership reshuffle.
The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, clarified during Wednesday’s parliamentary session that the majority caucus cannot independently appoint its leaders without the involvement of their political party.
Bagbin stressed the necessity of the political party’s role in guiding and influencing the selection of majority leaders.
In an interview with Umaru Sanda Amadu on Eyewitness News on Citi FM, Ayariga reiterated Bagbin’s stance. He emphasized the need for MPs not to let the new standing orders of parliament create a false impression of their independence from their political parties.
Ayariga stated, “You can’t have a situation where the political party doesn’t have a hand at all in determining who the leadership is. Like the speaker indicated often when you come to parliament you don’t know each other and etc. How do you even among yourselves decide who is going to be the leader? You came on the ticket of a political party and then they have to give some direction as to who they think should lead.
“So let’s not have these new standing orders give this wrong impression that the parliamentarians have become so independent and autonomous from their political parties, that they can go and sit and decide to do whatever they want to do.”
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