Race for next Speaker: Adjaho, Obed, Dzirasah lead

Barely a week after the Electoral Commission (EC) declared the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Presidential Candidate, John Mahama, as

President-elect a full swing lobbying for positions in the next government is ongoing within his party and The Publisher has picked up signals on which names are being pushed for the Speaker of Parliament position.

Meanwhile, the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) has not relented on its quest of gathering evidence to back its claim that President Mahama did not win the polls.

Until the NPP gets court to revert the EC’s declaration, President Mahama remains President elect and would be sworn in on January 7, just some three weeks away.

One of the first appointments the President will have to make is that of the Speaker of Parliament.

The immediate past President, John Evans Atta Mills of blessed memory, appointed Rt. Hon Joyce Bamford Addo as Speaker but The Publisher is reliably informed that the former Supreme Court judge is lacing her boots to vacate the post.

Already three names are being mentioned as possible Speakers include former Attorney General and seasoned diplomat Dr Obed Yao Asamoah, First Deputy Speaker of the current parliament Edward Korbly Doe Adjaho and former First Deputy Speaker, Kenneth Dzirasah.

First Deputy Speaker and Member of Parliament, Mr Doe Adjaho is highly tipped to become the next Speaker of the August House.

Doe Adjaho is a barrister. He is one of the few politicians who have retained their seats in parliament throughout the Fourth Republic. He is also a member of the Pan-African Parliament.

Doe Adjaho studied at the University of Ghana where obtained the LLB degree in 1984 before proceeding to the Ghana School of Law to become a Barrister-at-Law in 1986.

Dr Asamoah has the requisite credentials for the top job, many see him as a ‘returnee’ and rightly so because he broke away from the NDC in 2006 and formed his own party; the Democratic Freedom Party (DFP), only to rejoin the NDC months before the December polls.

Dr Asamoah broke away from the NDC after a long standing running battle with party founder Jerry Rawlings.

Dr Obed Asamoah’s main hindrance is likely to be his former boss Jerry Rawlings who after years of criticisms of Mills-Mahama administration made a sudden u-turn and started passing positive utterances about President Mahama.

Dr Asamoah is the longest serving Foreign and Attorney General Minister of Ghana under Jerry Rawlings from 1981 to 1997.

The third name being mentioned as potential Speaker is the Chairman of the Ghana Refugee Board, Kenneth Dzirasah.

He served as First Deputy Speaker under the late D.F Annang until 2001 when he became Second Deputy Speaker till 2005.

He was also Member of Parliament for North Tongu in the Volta Region. His challenge may be his perceived cold relationship with party founder Jerry Rawlings