Haruna Iddrisu, the immediate past Minority Leader in Parliament, has accused the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, of breaching the constitution regarding the re-composition of the Parliamentary Service Board.
According to the Tamale South MP, Bagbin failed to comply with Article 124 of the 1992 Constitution, which mandates the formation of a committee to advise the Speaker on re-composing the Parliamentary Service Board following a reshuffle in the Minority caucus leadership last year.
Haruna Iddrisu expressed these concerns while a committee was being established to advise the Speaker on re-composing the Parliamentary Service Board after changes in the Majority leadership.
He criticized the prolonged absence of the reconstituted board, chaired by Bagbin. Haruna Iddrisu emphasized that no one, including Bagbin, is above the 1992 Constitution.
“The changes in the Minority leadership happened over a year ago, so over the year, what has the Parliamentary Service Board been doing with the Speaker as chair with the participation of Ato Forson? That is unconstitutional, illegal, and unacceptable. The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, is not above the 1992 Constitution. He is not above the constitution, and therefore, when we are talking about illegalities, I worry when they are unconstitutional.”
In contrast, Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin refuted Haruna Iddrisu’s claims, asserting that Speaker Bagbin followed due process in re-composing the Parliamentary Service Board.
“The contention of my very senior colleague and respected Minority Leader who is arguing that this has rather come too late, it has not, and I will want to argue with you on that. When you left the chair, the needful, as you complained about, was done, and the record bears me out. You are arguing that constitutionally, why has Speaker [Alban] Bagbin breached the constitution, and I did contend that he has not? The former leader of this House did the needful.”
