Most Of You Don’t Speak The Truth – Bagbin Tells MPs

The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Suman Kingsford Bagbin, has noted that “many” Members of Parliament are not truthful. According to him, many of them tell “lies” under the cover of politics.

The former Legislator passed the verdict on the MPs during sitting on Tuesday, February 3, 2026.

He had listened to both the majority and minority on an issue but said that they were all giving different accounts of what actually transpired, which got him “confused”.

“So I have to go and read the Hansard, because many of you are not fond of speaking the truth. Well, one of the things I hate in life is to tell lies. I am being truthful and factual,” he said.

He added that “when you want to raise the issue, you say it is politics. As if politics is not about speaking the truth. So please, let’s go and refresh our memory on this matter.”

ISSUE

The Majority Leader and Leader of the House, Mahama Ayariga presented the business for the week. The Minority Leader, Osahen Alexander Afenyo-Markin, later caught the eye of the Speaker and made a plea.

He beseeched Speaker Bagbin to direct the Business Committee to include the debate on the motion for a probe into the mass dismissal by the government in 2025. He said about 15,000 people have been affected and that could not be left unattended.

In his pleadings, the Effutu legislator informed the Rt Hon. Speaker that the majority had already presented their case in opposition to the motion for review and was left with his side.

He said that the motion was at a stage where it was only the Speaker who could preside over it, given that the First Deputy Speaker’s ruling was being challenged.

According to him, the motion used to be advertised on the order paper, but due to the busy schedule of the Speaker, the item has not been dealt with.

COUNTER

The Majority Leader, Mahama Ayariga, rose to his feet to challenge the argument of his colleague on the other side.

He told the House that the Minority Leader did not present the full facts.

The fact, he told the Speaker, was that the First Deputy Speaker, Bernard Ahiafor, had ruled on the matter because the case was pending in court and it was not proper for Parliament to probe the same matter.

The Speaker called the First Deputy Speaker to speak on the matter. Bernard Ahiafor, MP, corroborated the statement presented by the majority leader that he had ruled that the same case was pending in court and thus could not be taken by Parliament.

According to him, he was presented with the court document on the matter filed by the MP for Old Tafo, Ekow Vincent Assafuah, based on which he gave the ruling.

UNPRINCIPLED

In a sharp rebuttal, the minority leader pointed out that the majority leader and the first deputy Speaker were not being principled, apart from the fact that they had moved from that stage.

He argued that when the current Chief Justice, Baffoe-Bonnie, was nominated and a date set for his vetting, the minority informed the House that former Chief Justice Gertrude Araaba Esaaba Torkornoo was challenging the matter in court.

Due to that, the minority urged the House to allow for the legal processes to be completed, ensuring no injustice was done.

However, he recalled that the majority argued that the matter in court could not bar Parliament from performing its duties.

DIRECTIVE

Speaker Bagbin, who had earlier bemoaned the practice of workers losing their jobs as a result of a change of government, directed the chairman of the business committee to re-list the motion on the order paper. He said it was important for Parliament to have a say on that matter.

It was after this directive that the majority leader raised the issue of the First Deputy Speaker’s ruling.

However, the minority leader countered that, saying they had crossed that part.

“The ruling of the First Deputy Speaker was challenged under 127 of our rules. We attached the ruling and stated the four facts of the case. And filed this before you,” he said.

Afenyo-Markin continued that, “Mr Speaker, what the issue is, is simply that you admitted our appeal. You admitted our motion for review. And in fact, we have actually moved our application.

“So Mr Speaker, all we are saying is that let us continue the debate. All these things that you are saying – there was a ruling; we moved past that. If a body of first instance makes a determination and a plaintiff opens a case, you don’t go back and say that there was a ruling. We’ve moved past that. We’ve moved the motion; it’s been seconded.

And you, the majority, you have submitted strong points in opposing our application. What Mr Speaker is saying is, let us relist it, because the motion has been pending. We need to continue the debate.  Then you make a determination.”

Meanwhile, Speaker Bagbin said they were all raising different issues about the same thing, which has confused him, thus the need for the House to refresh its memory and revisit the matter.

 

 

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