Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, has revealed that prior to Alban Bagbin being elected as Speaker of the 8th Parliament, he was pushed to vie for the position by the Minority Caucus.
“A group of National Democratic Congress Members of Parliament (MP), led by the honourable Mahama Ayariga, some of our colleagues, and my able whip the honourable Muntaka Mubarak had come to my office to lure me and to encourage me to run for the position of Speaker,” he said.
However, the Tamale South MP indicated that the tempting position had to be turned down because he believed Mr Bagbin was destined for the position.
Mr Iddrisu further said that his confidence in Mr Bagbin to execute the role of the speakership pushed him to ask his colleagues to seize their interest in making him the Speaker.
“I knew in my heart, God will have a favour on someone amongst us, therefore, in a subsequent meeting of the Minority Caucus, I had questioned the honourable Ayariga and my colleagues that I was not too sure whether they had the mandate or my authority to proceed further with their good intentions.
“Then in a meeting with the NDC highest leadership somewhere in the offices of former President Mahama I said to the group that my candidate for speaker was amongst us and pointed to honourable Alban Bagbin and the honourable Aseidu Nketia before my mouth could land the honourable Aseidu Nketia held the hand of honourable Bagbin strongly and said it should be the honourable Bagbin,” he stated.
He made this intriguing revelation at a thanksgiving event held in honour of Mr Bagbin in the Waala Traditional Area of the Upper West Region.
The victory of Mr Bagbin as the Speaker of Parliament went into the history books of the country as the first elected Speaker from an opposition party.
Mr Bagbin on the eve of January 7, 2021, polled 138 votes during a secret ballot in Parliament leaving his predecessor Prof Aaron Mike Oquaye of the New Patriotic Party with 136.
The victory attained by Mr Bagbin, according to Mr Iddrisu, is the doing of the Lord.
“Little did I know that God’s fate and God’s glory was vested in him [Alban Bagbin] we then conspired led then by the whip to come and work and see what God’s grace will be and to his glory and grace we have the 7th Speaker of the 8th Parliament, not just the ordinary but the most experienced among our group, the most qualified among our group in whom we trust that he will be fair and firm as Speaker of Ghana and not just any political group in Ghana.”
