The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Caucus in Parliament has urged Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin to reject the New Patriotic Party (NPP) side’s request for a recall, proposing that it be postponed until after the upcoming elections.
In a three-page memo to the Speaker, the leader of the NDC caucus in the House, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson noted that their colleagues on the other side of the aisle had failed to fulfill the constitutional provision as well as the Standing Orders which requires at least fifteen percent of Members of Parliament to sign unto a recall to make it valid.
Dr. Forson indicated that Leader Afenyo-Markin’s petition asking for the recall did not satisfy the provisions for a triggered recall by MPs, questioning why the urgency claimed was not demonstrated in the request to the Speaker.
“Rt. Hon. Speaker, the petitioner’s request is premised on an appeal to you to exercise your discretion to recall Parliament to consider what they have termed “high priority” government business. They proceeded to enumerate the said business.
“Respectfully, Mr. Speaker, we wish to submit that based on the petitioner’s own request, you are not obliged to recall Parliament. Further, the petitioner has not demonstrated that there is any emergency nor urgent government business to warrant a recall of Parliament, with barely eleven (11) remaining days to the crucial 2024 General Election,” Dr. Forson said of Mr. Afenyo-Markin’s petition sent to Speaker Bagbin last Friday.
Dr. Ato Forson who is MP for Ajumako Enyan Esiam Constituency, urged the Speaker to empathize with incumbent lawmakers who were up for reelection and had to be in their respective areas to campaign.
He was of the view that if Leader Afenyo-Markin’s petition was acceded to, “members will have less than one week to conclude their campaigns, train their polling agents and key logistical and other election-day arrangements”.
“This will disadvantage many members of Parliament, and such a situation is most unfair,” Dr. Ato Forson said.
His counter petition comes less than a week after Leader Afenyo-Markin had called on Speaker Bagbin to recall Parliament, citing urgent government business that needed to be transacted.
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/103.5FM/Mitchell Asare Amoamah
