Rule on Adwoa Safo’s issue based on constitutional provisions – Speaker urged

The Majority Leader in Parliament, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu has implored the Speaker of Parliament to rule on the issue involving the Member of Parliament (MP) for Dome-Kwabenya Constituency based on constitutional provisions.

He indicated that the constitution had spelt out clearly what should happen to MPs who absented themselves from parliamentary duties without permission and also failing to avail themselves to processes to deal with the situation.

“I am hoping the Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin will do what the 1992 Constitution requires, I am not happy what the possible consequences will be since Adwoa Safo, the MP for Dome-Kwabenya Constituency in the Greater Accra Region served as my deputy and the Minority in Parliament for shifting their position on the issue,” Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu decried.

However, the First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Joseph Osei-Owusu, had also served notice the Majority in Parliament would go to court “if the Speaker does not rule on the issue based on what the Constitution says because when the petition against Ms Safo and two other New Patriotic Party (NPP) legislators was referred to the Privilege Committee of Committee by the Speaker, the Minority Chief Whip, Alhaji Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka challenged the Speaker he cannot refer the issue to the Committee on his own”.

According to Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, who is the MP for Suame Constituency in the Ashanti Region, the Minority kept shifting goalpost on it because when the Speaker ruled and referred the matter on April 5, Alhaji Muntaka disagreed with the Speaker and contended that Mr Bagbin could not on his own refer the issue to the Committee.

“The Minority Members on the Committee concede reasonable efforts were made to get her to appear before the Committee, however, they were of the view, lack of response from Ms Safo to numerous invitations of the committee should be reported to the House without any conclusions.

“The Majority, was of the view, she failed to take advantage of numerous opportunities and facilities offered her to provide reasonable explanation to the committee with regard to her absence without leave,” Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu postulated.

But Mr Bagbin pointed out that he would not, in a rush, give a ruling on the recommendations made by the Privileges Committee and deferred his decision until resumption of sitting from break and needed time to produce reasoned written ruling.