A member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) communications team, Kofi Tonto, has criticized Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin for suspending four Members of Parliament (MPs) following a chaotic incident at the Appointments Committee vetting.
Three NPP MPs—Frank Annoh-Dompreh (Minority Chief Whip), Alhassan Sulemana Tampuli (Gushegu MP), and Jerry Ahmed Shaib (Weija-Gbawe MP)—along with South Dayi MP Rockson Nelson Dafeamekpor of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), were handed two-week suspensions.
The disturbances erupted during the vetting of ministerial nominees Kwabena Mintah Akandoh and Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, intensifying tensions between the Minority and Majority caucuses.
In response, Speaker Bagbin suspended the MPs and also set up a bipartisan committee to investigate the incident, with a report expected within 10 days.
Speaking on Adom FM’s morning show, Dwaso Nsem, Kofi Tonto accused the Speaker of overstepping his authority, arguing that there is no provision for such suspensions in Parliament’s standing orders.
“The Majority should handle issues behind closed doors instead of acting like saints in public. The Speaker is behaving like a President rather than a Speaker. What is the purpose of the committee if MPs have already been suspended? There is a process to follow, and this isn’t it,” he asserted.
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