Bagbin Reveals NPP Votes Secured His 2021 Speaker Election, Not Full NDC Backing

Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin has finally spoken about how he became Speaker in 2021, disclosing that he did not have the complete support of his own National Democratic Congress (NDC) side but instead depended on votes from New Patriotic Party (NPP) members who trusted him to be balanced and impartial.

Bagbin’s revelation sheds new light on the dramatic events surrounding the election of the Speaker in January 2021, when Parliament’s first sitting after the general election produced a surprising outcome. His account suggests that cross-party support, rather than unanimous backing from his own party, played a decisive role in his ascent to the Speaker’s chair.

According to the Speaker, NPP lawmakers placed their confidence in him because they believed he would discharge his duties fairly and without bias. That trust, he indicated, proved crucial in securing the numbers needed for him to win the position.

The disclosure is significant given that Bagbin, a veteran NDC politician, took the Speaker’s role in a Parliament where the opposition and governing parties held closely contested numbers. His candidacy had been expected to rely on NDC votes, but his account indicates that backing from across the aisle was essential to his victory.

Bagbin’s comments also highlight the importance of impartiality in the Speaker’s role. By acknowledging that NPP members trusted him to be balanced, he reinforces the expectation that the Speaker must serve all sides of the House fairly, regardless of party affiliation.

The revelation is likely to spark discussion about the dynamics within Parliament and the relationships between the two major parties. It also offers insight into the political calculations and cross-party trust that shaped one of Ghana’s most closely watched parliamentary contests in recent years.

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