Ghana’s Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, on Wednesday, October 29, has cautioned Members of Parliament (MPs) to attend sittings consistently or risk having their seats declared vacant in accordance with constitutional provisions.
His warning follows persistently low attendance in the House since it resumed sitting last week—a pattern that has plagued the legislative Chamber throughout the year. Citing Article 97 of the Constitution, which stipulates that MPs who absent themselves for 15 days without permission forfeit their seats, Mr Bagbin vowed to strictly enforce the rule. He explained that afternoon sittings were introduced to allow MPs to attend Committee meetings and interact with ministries during the day, urging them to make full use of the schedule.
Expressing deep disappointment over the continued absenteeism, the Speaker revealed he had instructed clerks to take detailed attendance records for the current session and warned that sanctions would follow for noncompliance. He lamented MPs’ apparent disregard for plenary sessions, stating that the behaviour tarnishes Parliament’s public image.
Mr Bagbin disclosed that he had already compiled attendance records from earlier meetings but refrained from publishing them, calling that decision a “catastrophic mistake.” He signalled that the Privileges Committee may be invoked against persistent offenders, stressing that the era of leniency over absenteeism was over.