Speaker Recalls MPs

Prof. Mike Oquaye, Speaker of Parliament

Members of Parliament (MPs) from the 275 constituencies across the country have been recalled to the House to undertake urgent parliamentary business.

The legislators have been recalled to urgently consider and ratify the Africa Continental Free Trade Area Agreement.

MPs went on recess on March 30, 2018 after the ratification of the controversial Ghana-US military cooperation agreement.

A statement signed by Speaker of Parliament Prof Aaron Michael Oquaye said the MPs are expected to sit on Thursday, April 26, 2018 and Friday, April 27, 2018 at 10 am on each day.

The recall comes at a huge cost to the nation, as all the 275 MPs have to be transported to Accra, as well as other costs associated with it.

The last time Parliament was recalled was in December, 2017 when Minority Chief Whip Muntaka Mohammed demanded a probe into allegations that some members of the expatriate business community were charged $100,000.00 to sit next to the President at an awards ceremony.

The House is also expected to consider and possibly ratify other agreements.

Although it is unclear what those other agreements are, there are suggestions that the Ghana-US Defence Cooperation agreement signed by the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) in 2015 would be ratified.

The MPs are likely to ratify the agreement which formed the basis for the current one that the NDC is vehemently opposed to.

 

By Gibril Abdul Razak

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