Speaker of Parliament Rt. Hon. Alban Bagbin has indefinitely adjourned parliamentary proceedings for the second time, attributing the decision to the lack of an agenda caused by the Business Committee’s failure to convene.
The recall session, initiated by the Majority caucus, was expected to address several pressing issues, but without their presence, proceedings were stalled.
In his address, Speaker Bagbin expressed disappointment over the Majority caucus’s absence, stating, “Matters that they wanted us to handle, which I admitted for consideration from the business committee, are not on the Order Paper. In fact, there is no order paper for today because the business committee could not meet due to the absence of the people who requested the recall.”
Bagbin noted, “In view of the failure of the business committee to sit, as a result of the refusal of those who requested a recall to show up, we are compelled to once again adjourn the sitting. Knowing the challenges we are facing, it is not advisable to be adjourning from day to day. So, I will proceed once more to adjourn the meeting indefinitely.”
Bagbin emphasized the procedural limitations, explaining that the House could not move forward without a prepared agenda or committee input. “As you can see, one side of the House is completely empty. We have a quorum to sit, but we have no business before us to transact. In the absence of that, there is no other authority that can put business before you that you have not adopted to transact,” he clarified.
The indefinite adjournment highlights recent tensions between the Majority and Minority caucuses, whose disputes over control of the House have impacted parliamentary progress in recent weeks.
The recent declaration by Speaker Bagbin of four parliamentary seats as vacant has reduced the numbers of the NPP caucus in Parliament, prompting the party to challenge the decision.
In response, the NPP brought the matter before the Supreme Court, which initially issued a stay on the Speaker’s ruling.
The Supreme Court is scheduled to make a final determination on the matter on November 11.
On Wednesday, in a media briefing Mr. Bagbin raised concerns over alleged government interference, accusing the administration of conspiring with the judiciary to undermine Parliament’s authority.
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