Ghana: Speaker Recalls Parliament Amid Embarrassing Narcotics Bust in France
- Speaker Alban Bagbin issued a formal notice on Thursday, September 24, 2026, summoning Parliament to an extraordinary sitting
- The recall follows a petition by Minority MPs invoking Article 112(3) over major narcotics seizures in France, which were linked to Ghana
- MPs are demanding parliamentary scrutiny of port security, customs processes, and institutions responsible for combating illegal trade
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Speaker of Parliament Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin has summoned Members of Parliament back to the chamber for an extraordinary sitting on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, cutting short the House's recess period.
Source: UGC
The Speaker issued the formal notice on Thursday, September 24, 2026, directing MPs to report to Parliament House in Accra at 12 noon.
The summons was issued under Article 112(3) of the 1992 Constitution and Order 53 of the Standing Orders of Parliament.
"Pursuant to Article 112(3) of the Constitution and Order 53 of the Standing Orders of the Parliament, I, Rt. Hon. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, the Speaker of Parliament, hereby summon Parliament to sit on Tuesday, 29th September, 2026 at twelve noon at Parliament House, Accra," the notice read.
Minority Members of Parliament trigger recall
The Speaker's notice does not outline the specific matters Parliament will consider during the sitting.
However, the timing is significant: the recall follows a petition submitted by Minority MPs who formally invoked Article 112(3), which requires at least 15% of Members of Parliament to request an extraordinary sitting.
The petition was led by First Deputy Minority Whip Habib Iddrisu. It came in response to growing public and legislative concern over the seizure of nearly 3.9 tonnes of a controlled substance at France's Port of Dunkirk.
The consignment in question had departed Ghana before being intercepted, and it forms part of a broader pattern of major narcotics-related seizures traced back to consignments linked to the country.
The Facebook post below contains the official release from the Office of the Speaker of Parliament.
What the MPs want Parliament to examine
The Minority MPs are calling for parliamentary scrutiny across several areas, including Ghana's port security architecture and customs procedures, the effectiveness of intelligence-gathering operations, and the overall functioning of institutions mandated to combat narcotics movement.
The petition signals that legislators are not prepared to allow the matters to be addressed solely at the executive level.
By triggering the constitutional provision, the Minority has ensured that Parliament itself must convene and engage with the issues directly.
The extraordinary sitting on September 29, 2026, is expected to set the tone for how the legislature responds to what has become one of the more pressing law enforcement and national security conversations in the country.
Source: UGC
Mahama reinstates NACOC amid major narcotics bust
Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that President John Dramani Mahama directed all security and regulatory agencies at Ghana's ports to produce a unified operational framework within two weeks, signalling a significant shift in how the country manages port security and trade oversight.
The order came during a high-level meeting held at the Presidency on Wednesday, September 17, 2026, attended by key figures from the national security, narcotics control, and transportation sectors.
Sources at the meeting told 3news' Komla Klutse that the President raised concerns about overlapping mandates, duplicated roles, and coordination gaps across agencies operating at the ports, issues that have fuelled growing unease over illegal substance movement and revenue losses.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
