Gabby Otchere-Darko, a cousin of President Akufo-Addo and staunch NPP loyalist has in a recent Twitter post, took a sharp jab at Ghana’s Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, criticizing his interpretation of Article 97 of the 1992 Constitution. Otchere-Darko humorously coined the term “Bagbinian doctrine” to describe what he views as a confusing and flawed rationale behind the Speaker’s recent decisions regarding MPs’ potential loss of seats when contesting elections as independents.
In his tweet, Otchere-Darko suggested that Bagbin’s interpretation effectively turns the intentions of the Constitution’s framers on their head. He pointed out that the Speaker’s insistence that an MP, simply by intending to change party affiliation, should automatically lose their seat—even if they do not cross the parliamentary floor during their current term—betrays the very spirit of Article 97. Otchere-Darko argued that this interpretation contradicts the constitutional goal of preventing parliamentary instability and political opportunism.
“The curious reasoning of Alban Bagbin Esq. He has managed with this serpentine bypass of cerebral discord to turn upside down the intentions of the framers of the Constitution,” Otchere-Darko tweeted. He mocked what he called the “Bagbinian doctrine,” implying that the Speaker’s actions have revived the very issues that the constitutional provision was designed to resolve. With a sharp dose of sarcasm, he labeled the Speaker as “Emperor Alban Humpty-Dumpty Bagbin,” suggesting that Bagbin’s rulings could lead to more confusion than clarity.
The controversy stems from Speaker Bagbin’s recent decision to declare certain parliamentary seats vacant, following the MPs’ decision to file as independent candidates ahead of the 2024 general elections. Bagbin’s stance has sparked widespread debate, with critics like Otchere-Darko arguing that the interpretation is overly rigid and does not account for the nuanced realities of Ghana’s political system, where MPs may file as independents but remain aligned with their original party throughout their current term.
Otchere-Darko’s remarks have added fuel to the ongoing political discourse about the role and powers of the Speaker in enforcing constitutional provisions, particularly in the lead-up to the 2024 elections. For him, Bagbin’s interpretation seems more like a comedic twist, leading to confusion rather than ensuring the smooth functioning of parliamentary democracy.
As the debate continues, Otchere-Darko’s critique of the “comedy” of the Bagbinian doctrine underscores the tension between legal interpretations and political realities, raising questions about the future direction of Ghana’s parliamentary processes.
According to Ghana’s Speaker of Parliament, an MP has no constitutional right to take steps with the intention to change party affiliation even if only for a future contest, without losing her seat and, if it is too late for a by-election, then she can no longer continue to…
— Gabby Otchere-Darko (@GabbyDarko) October 17, 2024
