By Elsie Appiah-Osei, GNA
Accra, Dec. 10, GNA — Parliamentary proceedings took a dramatic turn on Tuesday, December 9, 2025, as Mr Mahama Ayariga, the Majority Leader, condemned attempts by the Minority to prevent an open debate on the Kpandai parliamentary seat vacancy.
Speaking on the Floor of the House amid heckling by the Minority, Mr Ayariga, also the Leader of Government Business in Parliament, insisted that the matter must be discussed transparently and in full view of the media.
He argued that Ghanaians had a right to judge the facts for themselves.
“Mr Speaker, your ruling was whether or not, within the seven days, you could be called upon to remove the MP from the chamber, and you ruled accordingly that by our CI 19, there is an automatic stay for seven days. So, within those seven days, the judgment could not be executed. The member will have a right to be in the chamber, but after seven days, then the ruling will be triggered automatically,” Mr Ayariga said.
He added, “How will the speaker rule if he has not heard all the sides of the matter? We will not allow this matter to be heard in secrecy. It must be treated in the full glare of the media. I want them to capture the facts based on which you are mounting your protest so that Ghanaians will be the judges as to who is right.”
The Majority Leader outlined the constitutional obligations of Mr Ebenezer Ahumah Djietror, the Clerk to Parliament, in notifying the Electoral Commission of a parliamentary vacancy. According to Mr Ayariga, following the Tamale High Court ruling that ordered a rerun of the Kpandai constituency election, the Clerk acted within the statutory timelines set out under Article 112(5) of the 1992 Constitution.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Odeng Adade