Mahama congratulates Bagbin on his election as Speaker of 8th parliament

 

Former President John Dramani Mahama has congratulated Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin on his election as the Speaker of the 8th Parliament of the 4th Republic.

In a congratulatory message to Alban Bagbin on his election as the Speaker of the 8th Parliament of the 4th Republic on Thursday, January 7, 2021, Mr Mahama said “The events of last night stretching into the morning of 7th January have been both a great occasion for Ghana’s democracy and at the same time a day of infamy, which will go down as a low point in our democratic practice”.

He added that “The election of Speaker Bagbin affirms what a great democracy we can build for ourselves and how dialogue and consensus-building can make us even stronger as a nation”.

The presidential candidate for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the just-ended polls, also condemned the attempt to snatch ballot papers by the MP-elect for Tema West and the invasion of the Chamber by armed military personnel, stressing that they are images one had never expected to see in Ghana’s 4th Republican Parliament.

He, therefore, called on Parliament to investigate the two incidents, “The recent use of the military in civil democratic processes has become a major worry and gives the impression that this administration is continually seeking to resurrect the exorcised ghosts of our military past. Parliament must conduct an investigation into the two incidents and exact appropriate sanctions. Congratulations to the leadership of the NDC Caucus and the Caucus members for your dedication and commitment”.

It will be recalled that Alban Bagbin contested John Mahama in the NDC 2019 presidential primaries.

Mahama secured 213,487 out of 330,000 total votes cast while six of the contenders altogether secure just 5% of the remaining votes cast.

Read the full statement below