Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has said the recent parliamentary impasse was needless and could have been avoided.
However, Mr. Afenyo-Markin stated that he doesn’t blame the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, for the way he handled the issue.
In an interview on Adom TV Badwam, the Effutu Member of Parliament (MP) declared that the Speaker hasn’t been fair to him, the government, and the House at large.
According to him, the Speaker felt he had to protect his party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
“There are things you have to appreciate, and you don’t have to be emotional about it. I don’t blame Mr. Speaker; he just felt he must protect his party, and that is how he does his thing.
“As a leader, there are times when you have to endure certain things, so we will leave it there. But this parliamentary impasse was needless,” he stated.
The eighth parliament, towards its dissolution, has been in the news over the past weeks following a legal dispute over Speaker Alban Bagbin’s decision to declare four parliamentary seats vacant.
This declaration, citing alleged constitutional violations by certain MPs, has ignited widespread debate.
The Supreme Court subsequently intervened, temporarily suspending Speaker Bagbin’s declaration.
But in a final ruling on Tuesday, November 12, 2024, the Apex Court stated that the declaration was unconstitutional.
Mr. Afenyo-Markin, who initiated the lawsuit, was accused of acting in bad faith since the issue could have been settled out of court.
Responding to concerns that the impasse was his creation, the lawmaker vehemently fought off the claims, questioning, “Am I the one who declared the seats vacant? I went to the man to negotiate with him.”
Explaining why the issues couldn’t have been settled in Parliament, he added, “This is the man who has made a ruling. If you still want to rely on parliamentary procedures, it means you have to challenge his ruling, and you cannot ask him to step aside for his Deputy to preside over your appeal or review. He is the same person who is going to sit on it.”
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