The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has deferred his ruling on Dome Kwabenya MP, Sarah Adwoa Safo, who has been cited for absenteeism.
At stake was whether the Dome Kwabenya seat would have been declared vacant after Adwoa Safo did not honour her summons by the Privileges Committee, which considered her absenteeism.
The presentation of the report was captured on the House’s order paper in the form of a motion.
The Majority Leader Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu however felt it ought not to be captured as a motion which will thus call for a vote on it, but rather be read as a statement.
In the case of Adwoa Safo, while Minority members asked that the house be informed that she failed to appear before it, the majority members recommended that since she failed to honour all forms of invitations to her, her seat be automatically declared vacant in line with Article (97) one, of the constitution.
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu said so long as the privileges committee had taken a decision, their report is for the information of the House.
The Minority leader Haruna Idrissu said Parliament encompasses all members of Parliament and so the report of a committee cannot be deemed to be binding on the house.
He cited the case in which a former MP Eric Amoateng faced drug trafficking charges in the US.
First Deputy Minority Chief whip, Ahmed Ibrahim said the majority was pushing for it not to be presented as a motion because the members of the minority present outnumbered the majority at the time the issue was being discussed.
To the MP for Adansi Asokwa K.T. Hammond, the decision in which the presentation of the report was to be taken lied in the remit of the Speaker.
The Speaker Alban Bagbin proverbially excused himself at this juncture to seek further consultation on the matter, saying he had to consult the proverbial Old lady.
