Majority Leader clashes with Speaker over decision to subject Adwoa Safo’s fate to vote

Majority Leader has rejected the decision by the Speaker of Parliament on the fate of Dome-Kwabenya legislator, Sarah Adwoa Safo.

Speaker, Alban Bagbin ruled that the Privileges Committee report is not final.

The Privileges Committee recommended that the 40-year-old’s seat is declared vacant for failing to provide an explanation for her absence.

Delivering the much-anticipated ruling, the Speaker noted that the report of the Committee must be placed before the whole House for a decision to be made.

“It is for the House that will go through it because the mandate given to an MP, representation is so crucial that it cannot be left to the subjective view of any person or group of people but the whole house,” Speaker Bagbin said on the floor on Wednesday.

This did not go down well with the Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu. The Majority Leader who doubles as the Suame MP said the ruling is unfortunate.

“I am expressing my discomfort with this unfortunate ruling that you have made. I totally disagree. I think it doesn’t sit with the Constitution and with your own earlier statements that you made in this House relating to those same things. Very inconsistent,” he retorted.

This reaction caused another clash between himself and the Speaker who did not take the comment lightly.

Alban Bagbin demanded a retraction to which the MP reluctantly obliged.

In a subsequent press conference, the Suame MP added that “the Speaker is totally wrong in his understanding of the Constitution.”

This he says flouts Article 97 of the law which was quoted as justification in the Speaker’s determination.

Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu said his side will file a motion against the Speaker’s ruling.