Alban Bagbin
Never has the election or selection of a Speaker of Parliament been subjected to so many conspiracy theories.
In the midst of these theories, the benefactor of the consensus or election process in Parliament; the President’s old time friend in the legislature, Alban Bagbin, can only muse in excitement and perhaps wonderment.
Was he elected or selected through a consensus?
The theories compound what have already passed for eventful Presidential and Parliamentary elections.
When a defeated flag bearer decides to apply the Trump template, faulting the best electoral process Ghana has ever had in her post-independence history, MPs-Elect can afford to put up the despicable show as witnessed in the House recently.
It was an adult prank like no other, offering entertainment for the bored at home.
For persons who orchestrated the tyre burning street demonstration after the December 7 election result declaration, the rendition in the House could have been part of a grand scheme.
In an age of social media tricks and untruths, important personalities will have many remarks attributed to them. Whether these are the truth or the contrary will only be determined when they respond. Until they do so, we will only manage with whether or not the Speaker was selected, elected or picked by consensus.
The Parliamentary Service has already reacted to some of the theories in a bid to set the record straight but as to whether this is enough to douse the fire, only time will tell.
The leadership of the ruling NPP has a Herculean task on its plate. Explaining the rather complex shenanigans which were displayed in Parliament convincingly must be well thought out.
Failure to convince the foot soldiers who are for now contending with the assortment of theories can earn them avoidable wrath under the circumstances.
When dining with the devil, your spoon must be long. For a party which prides itself in street misconduct, the intelligence report about what it had up its sleeves should have been taken serious.
The Amewu and Techiman South court dismissals were painful episodes and enough to trigger the despicable conduct.
Who are the NPP persons who did not play ball and are said to have dined with the NDC? That is the question on the minds of incensed NPP activists; the answer to which must eventually emerge to placate angry party supporters.
The inauguration of the Eighth Parliament will go down as the most eventful in the history of the legislature. Not even the clash between President Kwame Nkrumah and the late S.I. Iddrisu of blessed memory in Parliament when the former walked out the latter from the House comes near in terms of news value.
Those who have harsh expressions for Carlos Ahenkorah for the sake of fairness must do same for the others whose conduct triggered the Usain Bolt performance and the chewing of ballot papers.
At a time like the one on our hands, recalling the episode in Parliament even as we ask for better conduct in future adds to the fun.