Peacefmonline.com can authoritatively confirm that the Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon Alban S.K. Bagbin has been stripped bare off his military protection; an action which the Speaker is clearly unenthused about.
Hitherto, the Speaker had four military personnel attached to his protection outfit.
The officers, WO1 Jafaru Bunwura, WOII Apugiba Awine David, S/Sgt Agbley Prosper and Sgt. Bonney Prince have been serving Bagbin’s office since he became Speaker in January 2021.
It is unclear the reason(s) for the withdrawal of these military personnel.
But a letter dated 11th January, 2022, cited by Peacefmonline and signed by Major General Nicholas Peter Andoh, the Chief of Staff at the General Headquarters of GAF, ordered the four soldiers to return to base by January 14, 2022, saying they were "attached to the Office of the Right Honourable Speaker of Parliament without the proper procedure."
“It is humbly requested that the personnel are withdrawn with effect from 14 January 2022 while efforts are made to regularise their attachment,” the letter from the GAF Chief of Staff to the Speaker said.
Meanwhile the Rt. Hon Bagbin has described the action as "untenable".
A statement issued by the Speaker’s Office questioned the withdrawal of the four military officers saying the action "hints at the possibility of a plot to place the safety and security of the Speaker in harm's way."
To him, this is a "bad precedent" and "detracts from the political gains that Ghana has made", and further warned that "if it is an attempt to gag the Speaker, this move will serve to only widen the gap between the legislature and the other arms of government."
Read the full statement below:
RT. HON. SPEAKER, ALBAN S.K. BAGBIN, STRIPPED OFF SECURITY COVER
The office of the Rt. Hon. Speaker, Alban S.K. Bagbin, has taken note of the withdrawal of four military officers posted to assist in the protection of the Speaker.
The attempt to strip the Speaker off security protection is untenable.
In a country that takes pride in its democratic institutions and processes, the decision to reduce the number of security personnel assigned to the Speaker detracts from the political gains that Ghana has made, and is a bad precedent.
The unknown reason for such a move is puzzling, but the real motive should be obvious to all objective observers of the political scene in Ghana. If it is an attempt to gag the Speaker, this move will serve to only widen the gap between the legislature and the other arms of government. It also hints at the possibility of a plot to place the safety and security of the Speaker in harm’s way.
The citizens of this country yearned for an effective separation of powers as well as check and balance, and voted to have a hung Parliament. They are looking for a lot more consultation, consensus building and dialogue. This move contrasts with that and certainly is a bad precedent.
In decisions such as these, we must ensure that we are guided by the overall interest of this country and the sustenance of our democracy and its institutions.
Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana
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This is what you get if you select a power-hungry so-called speaker. An unelected mere man who in his d1storted mind has the same power as the one elected to lead the country to a point that he erroneously believes he can get him out of office. The question I ask is that have all past speakers had military protection? If not what makes this 1ncestious man believes he has to be special. The arrogance of power indeed. but for a turncoat, 1-di0t of an NPP MP who contributed in having Bagbiun as the speaker, this pain in the b-ackside attention-seeking little man would not be courting such limelight.
This guy only want to make name for Himself, he is not the president n will never be .
Time changes indeed. This Speaker presided over a parliament that does not have the required number and disapproved the 2022 Budget of the Government. He is now talking about bad precedent. He should write to Aseidu Nketia to order the Azorkor Boys to give him protection.
This is NDC for you? Hypocrisy, nothing more nothing less. If you believe what NDC man tells you then you are digging your own grave. Ghanaians should open their eyes wide else we fall victim to their lies and machinations and Ghana will be the loser.
This Speaker is the worse since independence..... The NDC party must remove him to save themselves from further embarrassment. He is greedy, selfish and incompetent. He was against soldiers entering parliament when they were fighting but he wants them to protect him... Hypocrate speaker.
Ghana should go federal.
I thought Bagbin said he is number 2 and has power to remove the president. He should use his power to call the military back. A speaker who wants to enjoy same privileges as the president is shocking.
The previous posters have said it all! A Speaker as loud and indiscreet like Domelevo!! Why the military? I thought they were against the military having anything to do with Parliament. Has he forgotten what his party said when the military ventured into the Chamber on the eve of the Swearing-In? Again, the NDC kicked against the use of the military for personal protection and so why were they assigned to him in the first place? Hypocrisy to its intensities!! Deceit of the public!! He has no confidence in the Police. You are already in the books as the worst Speaker EVER in Ghana since independence!!!!!!!
Bagbin, Bagbin, this year de3 all your hernias you go remove am ooo, book plenty dubai tickets because you go taya brutaa. Motorcade self we go take, you go see your level.
When did Military protection become part of democracy? Nkwasiafo, Bagbin would hv been a dictator if he was president. A speaker who is always in the news. 4 Military attached? Nanneama.