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The Minority side of Ghana’s Parliament is accusing the Majority side of playing mischief in their reaction to the Speaker’s decision to deny a police request for the Member of Parliament for Madina to assist in an investigation.

The Ghana Police Service on October 27, 2021, wrote to the speaker requesting the release of the Madina MP to assist them in investigations into some criminal activities that occurred during a demonstration he led against bad roads in his constituency.

In a response to the police, the speaker referred to some limitations in the 1992 Constitution and said he is unable to release the MP.

But in a reaction to the Speaker’s response to the police, the Majority side of the house has accused Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin of digressing from the precedent set by his predecessors in dealing with such matters.

However, according to the Minority, the police in their quest to have Francis-Xavier Sosu assist them in their investigation failed to utilize the appropriate means.

The Minority side in a statement subsequent to one issued by the Majority has said that their partners on the other side of the house are being mischievous and disingenuous in their claims.

"The Majority Leadership is being mischievous and disingenuous by ignoring the fact that the Police refused to comply with the established protocols of dealing with matters affecting MPs by not first of all contacting the Speaker who would have then made the necessary arrangements for them to meet with the affected MP."

Contrary to the Majority’s claims that the Speaker has diverted from precedence, the Minority said the Speaker has been upright in sticking to provisions of the law when it comes to such matters.

“The Majority Leadership has lost its way for abandoning the truth and the facts of this Francis-Xavier Sosu matter. The Rt. Speaker of the 8th Parliament of the Fourth Republic of Ghana has not changed any rule. The request of the Police Service for release of MPs who have complaints lodged against them at the Police Service are invited to the Office of the Speaker. After listening to them, the Speaker will then inform them of the decision to release them to the Police Service for investigation.

“The Speaker will then convey his decision to the Investigators and remind them of the practice established by his predecessors of conducting the investigations in the Conference Room of the Speaker in the presence of their lawyers. The MPs are informed of the date to appear and attend to the investigations and to answer the enquiries of the Investigators and the MPs comply. This is the practice,” the statement signed by the Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu stated.