Bagbin Turns Down Boamah’s Bid to Leave Pan-African Parliament Observer Role

Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin has dismissed a request from Okaikwei Central MP Patrick Yaw Boamah to be removed from Ghana’s delegation to the Pan-African Parliament.

Boamah, who was listed as an observer, wrote to the Speaker questioning the basis of his designation and citing the agreed Minority-Majority formula for representation. He argued that observers at the Pan-African Parliament have no right to take part in plenary or committee sessions, only to attend, which he felt undermined his role.

He further contended that the Minority is entitled to two full seats under the 68:32 ratio used for parliamentary committees and ECOWAS representation, and that assigning him as an observer instead of a full delegate violated this arrangement. To prevent embarrassment to Parliament and the country, he sought to withdraw.

In reply, Speaker Bagbin acknowledged Boamah’s concerns but stressed that Parliament’s resolution approving the delegation is binding and can only be altered by a substantive motion. Until such a motion is passed, he said, the current arrangement stands.

Boamah’s withdrawal leaves the Minority with only one representative, a development the Caucus says breaches the agreed formula and weakens their rightful representation. Some NPP MPs accuse the Speaker of aiding the Majority to use its numbers to sidestep due process.

This marks the first time in the Pan-African Parliament’s history that Ghana’s Minority has only one member on the delegation—an outcome the Caucus insists undermines its guaranteed rights.