Former Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu
Former Majority Leader in Parliament, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, has criticized Speaker Alban Bagbin’s decision to suspend four Members of Parliament following the chaotic scenes during a ministerial vetting session on Thursday, January 30, 2025.
Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, in an interview with Accra-based Joy News on Saturday, February 1, 2025, questioned the legal basis for Speaker Bagbin’s actions, arguing that neither the Standing Orders nor the Constitution explicitly grant the Speaker the authority to impose such sanctions.
“The Speaker is right to have availed himself of the imperative of Order 342 of the new Standing Orders,” Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu acknowledged as he referred to the rules that govern the conduct of MPs in Parliament.
However, he went on to challenge the legitimacy of the suspension, saying, “Now the question to ask is, where is the Speaker deriving his authority from? Neither the Standing Orders nor the Constitution grants the Speaker any such authority,” he argued.
Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu also expressed concerns that Speaker Bagbin may have overstepped the bounds of his powers in taking such drastic action.
“The Speaker has not only jumped the gun but has gone outside the prescription of the law to impose his sanction. His own attitude and conduct are questionable,” he pointed out.
Background
On Friday, January 31, 2025, Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin suspended four Members of Parliament (MPs) for two weeks following violent clashes during a ministerial vetting session on Thursday, 30 January, 2025.
The suspended MPs are Frank Annoh-Dompreh (NPP, Nsawam-Adoagyiri), Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor (NDC, South Dayi), Alhassan Tampuli (NPP, Gushegu), and Jerry Ahmed Shaib (NDC, Weija-Gbawe).
Speaker Bagbin also directed the Clerk of Parliament to file a formal complaint with the Ghana Police Service for a criminal probe into the conduct of MPs involved.
He further declared that no public funds will repair damaged parliamentary property and that MPs found culpable will be surcharged for repairs.
What happened?
The fracas occurred during the vetting of Minister of Health-designate Kwabena Mintah Akandoh and Minister of Foreign Affairs-designate Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa.
The Minority Caucus accused the Majority of violating an agreement to vet only two nominees per day, sparking heated exchanges.
Tensions escalated into physical altercations, with microphones and furniture destroyed and the vetting table overturned.
MA
Meanwhile, watch as chaos erupts at Parliament over vetting of Okudzeto Ablakwa and Mintah Akandoh