Bagbin, NDC holding gov’t hostage – Afenyo-Markin cries foul

The Majority Leader in Parliament, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has accused the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, of colluding with the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to hold the government hostage.
According to him, the Speaker’s refusal to recall the House for urgent government business ahead of the December 7 elections comes directly out of the NDC’s playbook.
He claimed NDC flagbearer, John Dramani Mahama, has said the same thing adding, “So what they are doing is holding government hostage.”
The Majority Leader condemned Speaker Bagbin for acting arbitrarily, claiming he treats Parliament as his personal property.
“Today, the Speaker has taken Parliament as his personal property. As and when it pleases him, he opens Parliament. Even when there is an issue that he could sit with us on, he says no,” Afenyo-Markin said.
He disclosed that a memo requesting the House’s recall was declined by the Speaker in a letter dated November 26, stating that Parliament would reconvene only after the elections.
Afenyo-Markin described the response as unacceptable and accused the Speaker of obstructing critical legislative processes.
Expressing skepticism about the Speaker’s intentions, Afenyo-Markin argued that Bagbin’s actions were politically motivated.
“Are we even sure that he would open Parliament? That’s the question. But the answer lies in the fact that we [NPP] are winning massively. And once we win massively and we come, he would have no choice,” he said.