Speaker to count on 28 years of experience to steer parliament

The newly-elected Speaker of Parliament, Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin has indicated that he will be counting on his rich vein of parliamentary experience to help him discharge his work diligently.

Speaking on the floor of the House after his swearing-in on Thursday, he said he was “humbled to accept the high and privilege office” and was ready to submit himself to the House and serve the country and Ghanaians with the best of his abilities.

“I will also conscientiously discharge my duties as a Speaker of this House. I want to promise wholeheartedly to put at the disposal of parliament and the country, the store of knowledge, immense experience and the huge greater knowledge I have accumulated over the 28 years that I have been a member of this house”

The former Member of Parliament for Nadowli Kaleo and a member of the opposition National Democratic Congress, Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin has been elected as the Speaker of the 8th Parliament.

Mr. Bagbin, who was the Second Deputy Speaker in the previous Parliament won the elections with 138 votes.

His only contender, Prof. Aaron Mike Oquaye polled 136 votes.

The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) proposed Alban Bagbin as their choice candidate for the Speaker of Parliament while the New Patriotic Party (NPP) proposed Prof. Aaron Mike Oquaye who served as Speaker for the 7th Parliament; 2017 to 2021.

The election of Bagbin was not without controversy as several alien incidents characterized the night including the invasion of military personnel into the parliamentary chamber.

Earlier, the NDC Members of Parliament, clad in white, moved to sit on the right side of the Speaker to indicate they were in the majority which sparked serious controversy.

Later the issue of allowing the MP-elect for Assin North, Richard Quayson to vote in the election came up strongly as the Clerk who superintended over the voting process indicated that he would not allow him to cast his ballot because a court injunction had been granted to bar him from holding himself out as the MP.

That issue was resolved and the NDC MP allowed to vote subsequently.

During counting of the ballots, the Member of Parliament for Tema West and former Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry ran to the table and snatched the uncounted ballots of Prof. Aaron Mike Oquaye and attempted to bolt with it.

The Chief Whip on the NDC side and MP for Asawase, Alhaji Muntaka Mubarak immediately went after him and secured the ballots.

Alban Bagbin fact file

Born on September 24, 1957, at Sombo in the Upper West Region, Bagbin is a graduate of the University of Ghana (1977-1980) and the Ghana School of Law (1980 -1982).

He holds an Executive Masters in Governance and Leadership from the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA).

The MP for Nadowli Kaleo and former Majority Leader started schooling at an early age at the Roman Catholic Primary School, Sombo, did his second cycle education at Wa Secondary School and ended at the Tamale Secondary School, where he earned his Ordinary Level and Advanced Level certificates before entering the University of Ghana in 1977.

From 1980 to 1982, he worked at the Bureau of Statistics and Statistical Service as the acting Secretary to the Statistical Service Board while between 1982 and 1983; he worked as Personnel Manager of the erstwhile State Hotels Corporation.

Mr. Bagbin practiced as private legal practitioner in the Akyem Chambers, a firm of legal practitioners, consultants and notaries public, as a partner.

He is currently the longest-serving member of parliament, having served since 1993 when the first parliament under the 4th Republic was inaugurated.

He has held a number of positions in Parliament since 1994 and capped his lawmaking career with the ultimate, the Majority Leader and Leader of the House.

In the first Parliament of the Fourth Republic, he was made the Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Subsidiary Legislation and Vice Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Mines and Energy and Member of the Committee on Local Government and Rural Development.

In the Second Parliament of the Fourth Republic, Mr. Bagbin was the Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs with oversight responsibilities for the Commission of Human Rights and Administrative Justice, Electoral Commission, National Commission on Civic Education, Office of Parliament and Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs.

Mr.Bagbin was also the chairman of the Public Accounts Committee from 2001 to 2005.

He was also the Vice-Chairman of the Appointments Committee of Parliament.

He did not run again for Parliament in the 2020 elections.