Mahama congratulates Alban Bagbin on his election as Speaker of Parliament

Mr. Bagbin was sworn-in as Speaker of the 8^th Parliament on Thursday, January 6, 202, after beating incumbent Prof. Aaron Mike Ocquaye in a vote.

There was some confusion when Tema West MP snatched the ballot papers while counting was ongoing and attempted to bolt with it.

He was, however, chased by some legislators from the National Democratic Congress (NDC), sparking chaos in Parliament.

Despite the chaos that marred the counting process, the Clerk of Parliament later announced Mr. Bagbin as the elected Speaker.

This is the first time in Ghana’s historic that a candidate from the opposition party has been elected Speaker of Parliament.

In a post on Twitter, NDC flagbearer John Mahama congratulated Mr. Bagbin on his historic feat.

The ex-President further condemned the invasion of Parliament by the military and called for an investigation.

Read Mahama’s full statement below:

Congratulations Rt. Hon. Alban Sumani Kingsford Bagbin on your election as the Speaker of the 8th Parliament of the 4th Republic.

The events of last night stretching into the morning of 7th January have been both a great occasion for Ghana's democracy and at the same time a day of infamy, which will go down as a low point in our democratic practice.

The election of Speaker Bagbin affirms what a great democracy we can build for ourselves and how dialogue and consensus building can make us even stronger as a nation.

The attempt to snatch ballot papers by the MP-elect for Tema West and the invasion of the Chamber by armed military personnel are images one had never expected to see in our 4th Republican Parliament.

The recent use of the military in civil democratic processes has become a major worry & gives the impression that this admin is continually seeking to resurrect the exorcised ghosts of our military past.

Parliament must conduct an investigation into the two incidents and exact appropriate sanctions. Congratulations to the leadership of the NDC Caucus and the Caucus members for your dedication and commitment.