The Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has petitioned the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, to reconvene the House to address the outstanding business of Parliament.

In a letter signed by Afenyo-Markin, he urged Speaker Bagbin to exercise his constitutional mandate under Standing Orders 57(3) and 58(4) to recall Parliament and address pressing matters that remain unresolved.

Speaker Alban Bagbin had previously adjourned the House indefinitely following a half-side representation on Thursday, November 7. Parliamentary sitting was adjourned sine die after New Patriotic Party (NPP) Members of Parliament failed to show up, despite the House being recalled less than a month earlier on October 22.

Earlier, Speaker Bagbin had directed members of Parliament to end their recess and reconvene at the Accra International Conference Centre following a petition filed by NPP MPs under Article 112(3) of the 1992 Constitution and Order 53 of the Standing Orders of Parliament. This was to address urgent national matters that required immediate action.

However, during Thursday’s sitting, the Speaker explained that the House could not proceed with business as the Business Committee, chaired by NPP Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin, was unable to convene and deliberate on matters that should have been discussed.

In response to the call for a reconvening of Parliament, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has signaled its intent to boycott any emergency session. National Chairman of the NDC, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, instructed his party’s MPs to abstain from attending the sitting. Nketia cautioned that with Ghana’s general election just three weeks away, any recall would likely serve as an opportunity for the ruling NPP to engage in corrupt practices rather than addressing critical government business.

Tamale Central MP, Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed, also raised concerns over the financial burden that emergency parliamentary sessions impose on the state, emphasizing that each session costs Ghana at least GH¢1 million—a significant sum for a single day’s sitting.

Meanwhile, several important government business items remain in limbo. These include the approval of two Supreme Court Judge nominees appointed by President Akufo-Addo, as well as tax waivers exceeding $350 million.

Additionally, there are pending bills before Parliament, including the Architects Registration Bill 2024, the Economic and Organised Crime Office (Amendment) Bill 2024, the Vaccines Development and Manufacturing Bill 2024, and the Environmental Protection Agency Bill 2024. Parliament had previously concluded consideration of the Environmental Protection Agency Bill 2024 on October 16, during the 5th meeting of the 4th session of the 8th Parliament.