The controversy surrounding the election of Alban Bagbin as Speaker of Parliament has reignited debates about political transparency in Ghana.
During a discussion on Newsfile on JoyNews, Joyce Bawah Mogtari, Special Aide to President John Dramani Mahama, defended the President’s endorsement of Bagbin as a necessary step to maintain order during a critical moment in Ghana’s parliamentary history.
“The endorsement was intended to calm tensions and ensure a smooth process, given the challenges we saw in the past,” Joyce Bawah explained, referencing the chaotic scenes during the inauguration of the 8th Parliament.
She maintained that Mahama’s intervention was a pragmatic effort to avoid a repeat of such disorder in the politically delicate context of a hung Parliament.
Rabi Salifu, National Deputy Communications Director of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), firmly disagreed, describing the move as unnecessary and damaging to parliamentary independence.
“That reasoning doesn’t hold water,” Salifu countered. “We can ensure order without undermining the principle of parliamentary transparency.
Openly endorsing a candidate wasn’t necessary and sends the wrong message about the independence of Parliament.”
Salifu further argued that Ghana’s reputation for peaceful electoral processes negated the need for such intervention.
“I have listened to people from different countries, especially Nigeria, who commend Ghana for being largely peaceful from the campaign period through to post-election.
“There was no need to claim this was about curbing tensions or mitigating potential unrest,” she asserted.
