The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has expressed strong disagreement with President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s decision to withhold assent to the Criminal Offences Amendment Bill and Ghana Armed Forces Amendment Bill.
In a spirited address to Parliament, Mr. Bagbin criticized the President, labeling his position as “tragically wrong” and accusing him of being “ill-informed” in his rejection of the bills.
President Akufo-Addo, in a letter to Parliament, had pointed to potential financial implications on the state’s consolidated fund and concerns over a breach of Article 108 of the Constitution as the grounds for his refusal. Specifically, he highlighted the financial burdens associated with the Ghana Armed Forces Amendment Bill, sponsored by MP Francis Xavier Sosu, which aimed to replace the death penalty with life imprisonment.
Dismissing the President’s concerns, Mr. Bagbin vehemently asserted that Akufo-Addo’s assessment of the bills’ financial implications was misguided.
In his statement, the Speaker declared, “Vehemently we disagree with the position taken by the president. The president has gotten it tragically wrong, and I will submit in the form of a statement under Article 53 my position in this matter and allow members of the house to make comments so that we can take a clear position in this matter.”
Bagbin promised to submit a detailed write-up on the issue during the week, emphasizing that the President had not been properly advised or informed about the processes the bills had undergone. He argued that the responsibility to decide whether a bill should come from a private member or not rests on the person presiding, and the President should not determine the constitutionality of a bill that has been presented and considered by Parliament.
“The procedure in the act clearly states what the president is expected to do. It is not for the president to decide on the constitutionality or otherwise of a bill that has been presented and considered by parliament. This power of parliament will not be taken away by any exemptive authority,” Bagbin declared.
