Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin has rejected Okaikwei Central MP Patrick Yaw Boamah’s plea to be removed from Ghana’s delegation to the Pan-African Parliament.
Patrick Boamah, who had been designated as an observer, questioned the legitimacy of his appointment in a message to the Speaker, stating that the agreed-upon formula for selection entitled the Minority to two full delegates.
“My checks with the Pan-African Parliament Secretariat indicate that Observers are not permitted to participate in plenary or in committee meetings. Observers are only permitted to attend upon meeting,” Boamah noted.
He emphasized that his observer role weakened Ghana’s status and violated the agreed 68:32 ratio for awarding parliamentary committees and ECOWAS Parliament seats.
The MP stated that he chose to withdraw as an observer to avoid “any potential embarrassment to the Parliament of Ghana and Ghanaians as a whole.”
In response, Speaker Bagbin acknowledged the concerns but emphasized that Parliament’s delegation decision is binding until overturned by a substantive motion.
Boamah’s resignation leaves the Minority with only one delegate, which they regard as a clear violation of their guaranteed two-seat allocation. The Minority MPs accuse the Speaker of allowing the Majority to circumvent due process and tip the scales in their favour.
Source: newsthemegh.com