The opposition party in Ghana- the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Caucus in Parliament has won the third most powerful position in the country -the Speaker of Parliament.
The experienced former NDC Member of Parliament for Nadowli-Kaleo, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin was elected as the new Speaker of the 8th Parliament of the 4th republic of Ghana in a chaotic election Thursday morning.
Mr. Bagbin polled 138 votes as against 136 polled by the former Speaker Professor Mike Oquaye presented by the ruling party caucus Parliament. One spoilt ballot was recorded.
The results have come as a surprise to the ruling party considering that they were in pole position with their 137 MPs plus an Independent Candidate who promised to side with them.
Hon. Alban Bagbin has subsequently been sworn-in by the Chief Justice -Justice Annin Yeboah.
In his acceptance speech, he thanked all those who supported and even those who did not support his bid to become the speaker.
He assured to use his over the two-decade worth of experience to help conduct the affairs of Parliament.
He was then sworn in the 275 Members of Parliament elect.
Profile of the New Speaker
Born on September 24, 1957, at Sombo in the Upper West Region, Hon. Bagbin is a graduate of the University of Ghana (1977-1980) and the Ghana School of Law (1980 -1982). He holds an Executive Masters in Governance and Leadership from the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA).
His parents were Mr. Sansunni Bagbin and Mrs. Margaret B. Bagbin who were both peasant farmers. He is the fourth child of nine children of Margaret Bagbin and the thirteenth of the Bagbin family.
Mr. Bagbin is married to Mrs. Alice Adjua Yornas Bagbin, the Programme Officer of the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) office in Ghana.
Education
The former Majority Leader started schooling at an early age at the Roman Catholic Primary School, Sombo, did his second cycle education at Wa Secondary School, and ended at the Tamale Secondary School, where he earned his Ordinary Level and Advanced Level certificates before entering the University of Ghana in 1977.
Working Life
His working life experience took him to several establishments after school, and this no doubt enabled him to garner a lot of experiences that he brings to bear in his current political role.
From 1980 to 1982, he worked at the Bureau of Statistics and Statistical Service as the acting Secretary to the Statistical Service Board while between 1982 and 1983; he worked as Personnel Manager of the erstwhile State Hotels Corporation (Ambassador /Continental Hotels) before sojourning to Libya to teach English at the Suk Juma Secondary School, Tripoli.
When he returned from Libya in 1986, Mr. Bagbin joined the Akyem Chambers, a firm of legal practitioners, consultants, and notaries public, as a partner. Between 1989 to 1992, he was appointed an external solicitor of the Credit Unions Association of Ghana (CUA), Nii Ngleshie family of James Town, and several private business firms in Accra.
From 1993 to date, the Former Majority Leader has been a partner of the Law Trust Company, a firm of legal practitioners, consultants, and notaries public.
Parliament
Hon. Bagbin has held several positions in Parliament since 1994 and capped his law making a career with the ultimate, the Majority Leader and Leader of the House.
In the first Parliament of the Fourth Republic, he was made the Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Subsidiary Legislation and Vice Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Mines and Energy and Member of the Committee on Local Government and Rural Development.
From 1995 to date, Mr. Bagbin has been a member of a group known as Parliamentarians for Global Action (PGA) and a member of the International Law and Human Rights Programme of the PGA.
From 1996 to 2001, he was appointed Chairman of the Advisory Committee on the Restructuring of the Water Sector (Ministry of Works and Housing) while between 1997 to 2001, he was a member of the National Media Commission.
In the Second Parliament of the Fourth Republic, Mr. Bagbin was the Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs with oversight responsibilities for the Commission of Human Rights and Administrative Justice, Electoral Commission, National Commission on Civic Education, Office of Parliament and Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs. He was also the chairman of the Public Accounts Committee from 2001 to 2005. He was also the Vice-Chairman of the Appointments Committee of Parliament.
International Profile
He has also been a member of the African Parliamentary Network against Corruption (1999-2005).
Founding Member, Global Organization of Parliamentarians against Corruption (2002 to date).
Elected Vice President, Standing Committee on Democracy and Human Rights, Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU)
Elected member of the International Council for Parliamentarians for Global Action.
Attended several international conferences, seminars, and assignments while he has undertaken a lot of consultancies and presented papers at several international fora.
Political Views
Hon. Bagbin said he has been prepared to hold high positions right from his days in school when he was appointed Chairman of the Disciplinary Committee of the Legon Hall, University of Ghana. According to him, he also held positions in several associations on campus at Legon.
When asked what pushed him into politics, the Majority Leader simply answered, ‘Law and politics are Siamese twins’. He said he was part and parcel of the euphoria of the 1979 Revolution staged by Flt Lt Jerry John Rawlings.
‘In 1992 when the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) metamorphosed into the National Democratic Congress (NDC), it became a matter of choice for me to stand for election in my constituency and from then my parliamentary career has known no bounds’. he said.
He described his eight-year term as the Minority Leader (2001 -2008) as a very challenging period, adding that he however managed to ride the challenges till his party captured power in the 2008 general elections and formed the Majority in Parliament.
He said he intended to move parliamentary democracy forward to enable tolerance, accommodation of all shades of opinions, consensus building, and compromises in addition to ensuring best parliamentary practices and procedures.
Hon. Bagbin noted that although achieving total parliamentary independence was utopian, he would work hard toward parliamentary autonomy to enable it to play its proper role in the country’s current political dispensation.
He was nominated to the office of the Minister for Water Resource, Works and Housing by H. E. Professor John Evans Atta Mills following a Cabinet Reshuffle in January 2010 and subsequently appointed Minister of Health.
Source: Mybrytfmonline.com/Obed Ansah/profile from Ghanaweb
