Alban Bagbin Has Been A More Accommodating Speaker Than Oquaye - Ablakwa
The Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, is of the view that the Speaker of the 8th Parliament, Alban S.K. Bagbin, has been more accommodating of both sides of the house than the immediate past Speaker, Prof. Aaron Mike Oquaye. In an interview, Mr Ablakwa admitted that it is too early to
compare the tenure of the two Speakers since Bagbin has not even covered a year in office. He however says Speaker Alban Bagbin has also so far shown very good signs. It’s quite early to judge, but Speaker Alban Bagbin has so far shown very good signs. We do know that he is the most experienced speaker in terms knowledge of
the house and He has been in the house as a founding member of Parliament of the 8th Parliament. He knows the entire rudiments and spectrum. He is well-versed with proceedings and also technicalities, the role that Parliament should play. And I will also say that he has been more accommodating. According to him, unlike
Alban Bagbin, Professor Mike Oquaye came across as an autocratic and partisan leader. Professor Mike Mike Ocquaye is my own Sunday school teacher, lecturer at the University of Ghana, and a proud ‘odade3’, and he knows that I hold him in high regard. But because of that teacher role that he has played over the years, he
also tended to be a bit too bossy and quite autocratic sometimes. He did not really allow the debate in the house to flow and He came accross sometimes as too partisan. And indeed, we had cause to go public on some of his rulings. But that is not to take anything away from him as a fine man and a mentor. But if you
juxtapose his tenure, in the 7th Parliament with that of Speaker Bagbin, you will realise that Speaker Bagbin has been more accommodating of both sides of the house. There are times that he has been torn between allowing motions that have been filed to just go as it is, but he has pushed for a more consensual approach. I
also remember that with Mahama Ayariga’s motion on school fees, he also encouraged the other side to make inputs and let it be a consensual motion. The former Member of Parliament for Nadowli Kaleo and member of the opposition National Democratic Congress, Alban Kingsford Sumani Bagbin, was elected as the Speaker
of the 8th Parliament on January 7, 2021. Mr. Bagbin, who was the Second Deputy Speaker in the previous Parliament won the elections with 138 votes, making history as the first Speaker to have been elected by an opposition party. His only contender, Prof. Aaron Mike Oquaye polled 136 votes.