Yesterday, the Minority side led by Haruna Iddrisu raised a motion asking for an inquisition into Covid-19 funds that the government received. The Minority Leader called for a bipartisan committee to probe and bring out it findings. Days earlier, Alban Bagbin had accepted the motion which was first raised by Ato Forson. However, yesterday, in the absence of the Speaker, The First Deputy Speaker overruled the motion when Haruna Iddrisu raised it.
According to arguments raised by the Majority Leader, the probe was just a plot by the Minority to peddle untruths. In the ruling that followed, the Joseph Osei Owusu noted that the probe was not necessary because it was rather the work of the Public Accounts Committee and not Parliament. Today, Wednesday, February 23, 2022, Alban Bagbin resumed his seat and queried why his earlier ruling of admitting a motion was overruled.
According to Speaker Bagbin, for a motion to be raised, seconded and admitted, there was no point for the motion to be cancelled. He explained that the next thing was to have the motion debated and not withdrawn or rejected as happened yesterday. He added that this is the second time the First Deputy Speaker has ignored and rescinded his rulings. “This is unconstitutional and illegal. He himself said he is not the speaker so why should you overrule my ruling” Bagbin said.
Bagbin noted that his ruling stands and the probe into the use of Covid-19 funds will stand. He called on the Deputy Speakers to respect his decisions because he is the head of the House and he will suffer the consequences if something happens.
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