Minority Accuses Speaker Bagbin of Procedural Barriers in Parliamentary Business

The Minority in Parliament has accused Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin of erecting procedural barriers that it says are limiting effective parliamentary oversight and debate.

The concerns were raised during a press briefing titled “Holding Government to Account” held on Monday, January 26, 2026.

Addressing the media, Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin said the caucus has faced repeated dismissals and delays of motions and parliamentary questions presented on the floor of the House. According to him, matters that should ordinarily be debated are increasingly being stalled through what he described as a “subtle culture of silence” created by procedural constraints.

Afenyo-Markin acknowledged Speaker Bagbin’s political background but stressed that the Speaker’s constitutional role requires neutrality.

“We are aware Mr. Speaker is an NDC leading member. But where he sits is to protect both of us,” he said.

He added that the Speaker’s position is critical to the growth and protection of Ghana’s democratic institutions, and must rise above partisan considerations.

The Minority Leader appealed to the Speaker to focus on the substance of parliamentary business rather than technicalities, arguing that fairness demands equal treatment of both the Majority and Minority sides.

“We hereby plead with Mr. Speaker that he is doing Ghana’s work and the work for the growth of democracy. He should prioritise substance over form,” Afenyo-Markin said.

The Minority maintained that a functioning democracy depends on a parliamentary environment where issues of national importance can be freely raised, debated, and scrutinised without undue obstruction.

They warned that continued procedural bottlenecks risk weakening Parliament’s oversight role and undermining public confidence in the legislative process.