I don’t know what spirit entered Carlos to snatch ballots papers – Kyei Mensah Bonsu
- Majority Leader says he was shocked seeing Carlos Ahenkorah snatch a ballot paper
- Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu says he never tasked the MP to take such move
- So far, NPP caucus plus the independent candidate are majority of the House
The Majority Leader in Parliament, Kyei Mensah Bonsu, has disclosed to Joy FM how shocked he was seeing the law maker for Tema West Constituency, Carlos Ahenkorah, snatching ballot papers during the election of a Speaker of Parliament.
Narrating what ensued between he and the MP, Kyei Mensah Bonsu insisted that he chided Carlos Ahenkorah, who was “jittery” and “anxious” of the speakership position going to the NDC, to desist from any act of ballot snatching.
Source: Facebook
READ ALSO: Ghana has second highest covid cases in West and Central Africa combined - UNICEF
Despite his admonishment, Carlos, according to the Majority Leader, went ahead to snatch the ballot paper.
In an interaction on Newsfile, the Majority Leader said:
“We just finished the voting and we’re going to do the counting so where from this? He insisted that we don’t have to sit down for them to win the Speakership position. Then I said, hey Carlos, please get away from me. Because I wanted to follow the counting. I don’t know what spirit entered him” .
The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, on Friday, January 15, 2021, addressed the anarchy leading to his election.
He chastised the “despicable” conduct of the members saying it had eroded the dignity of the law-making chamber.
“It was…to put it mildly, despicable conduct unbecoming of people of honour,” the Speaker of the eighth Parliament said per a starrfm.com.gh report.
That notwithstanding, he expressed optimism that the spectacle of that “historical day” would be repeated.
He further urged that deliberate steps must be taken to restore the muddied and lost dignity of the law-making chamber.
Meanwhile, Bagbin declared the New Patriotic Party (NPP) caucus in Parliament as the majority when the eighth Parliament reconvened for its first meeting after a chaotic inauguration on January 7.
It follows a formal notice to him by the Independent MP for Fomena, Andrew Amoako Asiamah, expressing his desire to align with the NPP caucus.
Bagbin declaration would settle the endless kerfuffle and debate over who could claim majority status.
Double roles in roles
Speaker of the 8th Parliament of Ghana, Alban Bagbin, has warned law makers against taking additional roles as ministers of state.
Addressing the House for the first session in Parliament, the Speaker explained that taking additional roles as minister does not only flout standing orders of Parliament but also leaves law makers ineffective in serving their constituents.
Quoting sections of the Bible (Mathew 6:24), Alban Bagbin argued that taking both roles will leave them “devoted to one and despise the other.”
He made it clear that having double roles will only end up making Parliament less effective.
The Speaker’s warning comes in the wake of over 100 law makers losing their seats in the just ended elections of 2020. Out of this number, a majority of these legislators held double roles as ministers of state and heads of some public institutions.
With the NPP and NDC both having 137 seats in Parliament - with one independent candidate supporting the NPP, the stakes remain so high for both sides of house.
NPP Caucus plus independent candidate declared Majority
The New Patriotic Party caucus in parliament together with the independent MP of Fomena has been declared together as the majority group in the 8th Parliament of Ghana.
This declaration was made during the first sitting of the house on January 15, 2020, to determine which group is the majority among other businesses.
The NPP caucus had 137 members whilst the National Democratic Congress (NDC) caucus also had 137 members with the independent Fomena MP holding the trump-card to which side becomes the majority.
According to the Rt Honourable Speaker, the Fomena MP, Hon Andrew Amoako Asiamah in a letter dated January 13, 2020, confirmed he would do business with the NPP.
This brought the NPP group's number to 138 as against 137 from the NDC, on which basis, the speaker declared the NPP caucus as the majority group in parliament.
The announcement was met with great cheers among the NPP MPs who had reported to the house very early in the day to occupy the majority seats.
READ ALSO: "We were just trying to be punctual" - NPP MP Sylvester Tetteh on 4 am arrival in Parliament
As YEN.com.gh earlier reported, Members of Parliament who are part of the New Patriotic Party Caucus arrived in parliament at 4:00 am in the morning for a sitting that was supposed to commence at 10 am
The NPP MPs were there early to occupy the majority seats with the mindset of outsmarting the NDC MPs when they willfully relaxed at home.
When Ghanaians woke up to realize the news, they took to Twitter as was expected, to rain heavy trolls on the NPP MPs for getting outsmarted by the NDC MPs.
John Mahama rejects 2020 elections results | #Yencomgh
Source: YEN.com.gh
