Inauguration of the 8th legislature: night of anarchy by those who make the law

The inauguration of 8^e Parliament of 4^e The Republic last Thursday started with aggression and anxiety from the start.

The evening was filled with drama with the two NDC and NPP caucuses at each other’s throats over the choice of Speaker of Parliament.

There was a standoff over the eligibility of the elected MP for Assin North when voting in the electoral process, as the Cape Coast High Court banned him from running as an MP. Eventually he was allowed to vote.

The voting process itself was a spectacle.

The competition pitted former deputy for Nadowli Kaleo, Alban Sumana Bagbin of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and his predecessor, Professor Aaron Mike Ocquaye of the New Patriotic Party.

This resulted in the military and police entering the Chamber to restore calm for the first time in the history of democracy in Ghana.

However, the highlight of the day was when Tema West MP Carlos Ahenkorah snatched the ballots in full light of immense security and the media.

However, Muntaka Mubarak and other members of the minority sued the lawmaker-turned-ballot stealer to apprehend him.

By polling 138 votes, Alban Bagbin won against his predecessor Professor Aaron Mike Ocquaye who had 136 votes. A legislator did not vote.

At the end of the long wait of the night, Alban Bagbin won the hotly contested ballot. He goes down in history as the first Speaker of Parliament who is not chosen by the ruling party.