Member of Parliament (MP) for Yapei-Kusawgu, John Abdulai Jinapor, has rendered an unqualified apology to Ghanaians for the chaos in Parliament during the election for the Speaker of Parliament.
Upon sober reflection, he admitted the National Democratic Congress (NDC) caucus went overboard in ensuring the right things are done.
MPs on Wednesday, January 6, 2021, commenced an exercise to elect a Speaker for the House.
The Speakership position was keenly contested by Professor Aaron Mike Oquaye of the New Patriotic Party and Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin of the NDC.
But, the exercise, which saw Mr Bagbin emerge victorious with 138 votes out of 275, was characterised by unspeakable acts including the snatching of ballot papers and a ballot box by the MPs.
Many groups, including the Chairman of the Christian Council, described the misconduct of the MPs as distasteful and an affront to Ghana’s record as a beacon of democracy in Africa.
Reacting to this on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen programme Tuesday, Mr Jinapor said the concerns raised are legitimate.
However, he maintained that, given the opposition, they had a real cause of action and “we needed to defend the process”.
The Yapei-Kusawgu MP was quick to add that, what happened in Parliament “is normally not the case on the Floor.”
Going forward, he suggested the Electoral Commission be made to supervise the election of the Speaker to avoid such an unfortunate situation.
Mr Jinapor assured both sides of the House will build consensus and put the interest of Ghana first.
