By Godwill Arthur- Mensah
Accra, July 18, GNA-Speaker Alban Bagbin’s charismatic leadership and eye-catching stories on the floor of Parliament, is worthy of commendation, amid rising tensions in the Chamber, letting the legislators to break their ribs with laughter.
While emotions were flying high amongst MPs of both side of the House when the issue of the vacancy of the Akwatia parliamentary seat was being discussed, Mr Bagbin intermittently narrated interesting life scenarios, making the MPs to reel in laughter, and temporary forgetting that they’re discussing serious matters.
In a move to support his point that the death of an individual must be supported with a tangible evidence, Mr Bagbin told this story: “This is a true story,” he said, “I know you’ll laugh…”somebody who is interested in another man’s wife went to declare that the man is dead, and went ahead to organise the man’s funeral. And that permitted him to marry the man’s wife. After a few weeks, the man showed up. Now, the man was advised, in his own interest, to disappear because his funeral has already been organised or else he will be killed…and so, the man has to vamoose”…This lighthearted story triggered laughter from both side of the House.
In another rib-breaking narration, Mr Bagbin stated that people were not so much interested in the welfare of MPs because anytime an MP dies and even before he is buried, people in the constituency jostled one another to replace the deceased legislator.
Mr Bagbin recalled an incident in Fomena constituency where an MP passed away and even before the deceased legislator was buried, his constituents were wearing the ‘T-Shirts’ of the aspiring parliamentary candidate at the funeral ground.
“So, I told my constituents that if you wear any candidate’s ‘T-Shirt’ to my funeral, you’ll not go back” sparking another round of laughter and cheers among the MPs.
On a more serious note, Speaker Bagbin said Parliament was yet to receive formal communication from the bereaved family of the late Akwatia MP, Ernest Yaw Kumi, announcing his death.
Mr Bagbin said the family of the late MP must provide evidence to Parliament, authenticating the death of the legislator and not just verbal communication.
“The Clerk does not just listen to views of people or any Member of Parliament. There must be an evidence and based on that the Speaker will authorise the Clerk to issue a letter to the Electoral Commission,” he pointed out.
The Speaker’s remarks on the floor of Parliament on Thursday followed Mahama Ayariga, the Majority Leader’s inquisition as to whether the announcement by the Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin on July 7, 2025, announcing the death of Ernest Yaw Kumi was an official communication to the House.
Mr Bagbin ruled that the Minority Leader erred in announcing the death of the legislator to the House.
The Speaker referenced Article 112 clause five of the 1992 Constitution as amended in 1996 which states: “whenever a vacancy occurs in Parliament, the Clerk to Parliament shall notify the Electoral Commission in writing within seven days after becoming aware that the vacancy has occuured; and a by-election shall be held within 30 days after the vacancy occurred, except that where the vacancy occurred through the death of a member, the by-election shall be held sixty days after the occurrence of the vacancy”.
The Speaker said Parliament was a House governed by rules, and would properly communicate to the EC when it received formal communication from the late legislator’s family.
Meanwhile, Mr Alexander Afenyo-Markin, the Minority Leader, led his Caucus to stage a walkout to protest against the emotional insensitivity showed by the Majority Leader for insisting that the Akwatia parliamentary seat was vacant.
The death of Ernest Yaw Kumi occurred on Monday, July 7, 2025 after a short illness.
GNA
Christian Akorlie