Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, has stated emphatically that President Akufo-Addo can’t remove him from office, but he, being the Speaker can remove the president from office.
According to him, he as the leader of the eighth Parliament of Ghana’s fourth republic will not succumb to any bully into playing second fiddle to the executive branch of government.
“This year, all the laws we have been passing are laws we passed to benefit the executive, even we forget about Parliament in the language we use, this is self-inflicted; it is not a deficiency in the constitution, it’s a deficiency in Parliament itself. We must correct it,” he said.
He made this statement during a post-budget forum held at Ho in the Volta Region over the weekend.
Reminding members of the house the power they wield as legislatures, the speaker noted that, among other things, he could cause the removal of the president through members of the house.
“Let me reemphasise that the 8th Parliament is properly positioned not to allow itself to be bullied into playing second fiddle to the executive. Parliament can remove His Excellency the President; His Excellency cannot do that to Parliament. As Speaker, His Excellency cannot remove me, but I can, through Parliament, get him [the president] removed.”
Mr Bagbin was, however, quick to add that removing the president is not what he seeks to do.
“Some of you are trying to do some of those things. I can assure you, I won’t do it. You don’t have good reasons so stop it,” he stated.
Source: Mybrytfmonline/Joseph Asare
