Following the request by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Members of Parliament for the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, to recall Parliament to attend to some ‘high priority’ business, the MPs on the other side have also written to the head of the legislature to reject that call.
According to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) MPs, who described themselves as the ‘NDC Majority Caucus’ in Parliament in a Memo to the Speaker of Parliament dated Monday, November 25, the request by the NPP MPs failed to meet the necessary constitutional and procedural requirements set out in Article 112(3) and Standing Order 53(1) of Parliament.
Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, the leader of the NDC MPs in Parliament, who signed the Memo, contended that the NPP MPs’ call for a recall does not satisfy the required threshold for such a request.
“Rt. Hon. Speaker, the petitioner’s request is premised on an appeal to you to exercise your discretion to recall Parliament to consider what they have termed ‘high priority’ government business. They proceeded to enumerate the said businesses.
“Respectfully, Mr. Speaker, we wish to submit that based on the petitioner’s own request, you are not obliged to recall Parliament. Further, the petitioner has not demonstrated that there is any emergency nor urgent government business to warrant a recall of Parliament, with barely eleven (11) remaining days to the crucial 2024 general election,” the Memo said in part.
Dr Forson stressed that any recall must adhere to specific legal criteria, which, in this case, has not been met.
In his Memo, Dr. Forson urged Speaker Bagbin to exercise his discretion and reject the NPP MPs’ petition, arguing that the request was inconsistent with Parliament’s standing orders and that there were no compelling reasons to justify the urgent reconvening of the House.
On November 21, the NPP MPs petitioned Speaker Alban Bagbin, requesting the immediate recall of Parliament to address critical government business.
However, Dr. Forson’s response reflects the opposition’s position, questioning both the necessity and legal justification for the recall.
Read the full details of the NDC Memo below:
