The Members of Parliament for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) have occupied the majority side of parliament again as Parliament reconvenes today, Thursday, November 7, at the Accra International Conference Centre.
The office of the Speaker of Parliament released a statement calling for the resumption of parliament. This follows the indefinite adjournment of parliamentary proceedings on October 22, 2024.
The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin announced the indefinite adjournment of parliament due to the exchanges between lawmakers from the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) regarding which caucus held the Majority.
However, in a released statement dated October 31, Parliament is set to reconvene on November 7, 2024, at 10 am in the Grand Arena, Accra International Conference Centre.
Although some of the NDC MPs are present, the NPP MPs are yet to join the siting. The NPP MPs’ absence has created a noticeable void, catching the attention of the NDC MPs. According to the NDC MPs, the absence of the NPP MPs in parliament depicts a lack of commitment by the NPP Caucus to parliamentary affairs.
The NDC Member of Parliament for the Saboba Constituency, Joseph Bukari voiced his disappointment, deeming their absence as “disappointing” and a disregard for parliamentary affairs, particularly at a crucial period.
“The governing side are not serious and we are here to do business and they triggered the provisions for the Speaker to recall us and so we thought they would have been here for us to do business but they are not here.
“We are not supposed to be in the Chamber by 10 am, we are supposed to be in the Chamber before 10 am and the Speaker comes in at 10 am and so if none of them are here, then it leads us to conclude that they are not serious about government business and they are wasting our time and the Ghanaian peoples time and they are making unnecessary requests and keeping us in Parliament when we have work to do in our constituencies.”
The Speaker of Parliament reconvened parliament to address pressing issues that have stalled due to recent tensions in parliament. These pending matters include legislative reforms, and budgetary allocations, among others.
Despite recent confusion as to which party holds a majority in parliament, the NDC MPs have currently occupied the majority side in parliament, therefore asserting themselves as the majority.
The NDC further highlighted that the NPP’s delayed arrival has further fueled parliamentary tensions.
