The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin has described the attitude of the First Deputy Speaker, Joseph Osei-Owusu to overrule his rulings as unconstitutional, illegal, and offensive.
The first Deputy Speaker on Tuesday dismissed a private members’ motion for a bi-partisan committee inquiry into Covid-19 expenditure since 2020.
The motion was moved by Ranking Member for the Finance Committee, Cassiel Ato Forson who prayed the house to constitute a bi-partisan Parliamentary Committee to be chaired by a member of the Minority Caucus.
The Committee would be tasked to enquire into the expenditures made by the Ghana Government in relation to Covid-19 since the outbreak of the pandemic in 2020.
But, Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu also kicked against the move to probe into the use of Covid-19 funds.
Consequently, first Deputy Speaker, Joseph Osei-Owusu threw out the motion arguing the demands of the motion fall directly under the ambit of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
Addressing the House on Wednesday, Mr. Bagbin said “the penchant of the First Deputy Speaker to overturn my ruling is, to say the least, is unconstitutional, illegal, and offensive. Be that it as it may I shall not be taking any such to overrule the decision of the First Deputy Speaker to dismiss the motion as moved by the Honorable Ranking Member of the Finance Committee”.
Mr. Bagbin told the House he will meet his deputies to ensure the development never repeats itself.
“Honorable Members it is interesting to note that this is the second time the first Deputy Speaker has taken the chair and has made a ruling which intends was to overrule a position I had earlier on established before the House,” he added.
