Despite having the advantage of the declared support of an independent Member of Parliament giving them a figure lead, the New Patriotic Party lost its bid to have its candidate elected for the 8th Parliament Speaker position.
According to popular Ghanaian pollster, Ben Ephson, Alban Kingsford Sumani Bagbin beat Professor Aaron Mike Oquaye in the race due to his character of fairness and firmness which he has exhibited over his seven-term period in parliament as an MP and as a Second Deputy Speaker at some point.
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Speaking in an interview with GhanaWeb’s Daniel Oduro, Mr. Ephson said Alban Bagbin, being a principled person, may have won the hearts and votes of his party’s MPs and even members of the NPP who may have voted for him in the closely contested elections based on his history.
“Yes, NDC proposed him but I must be honest that even John Mahama knows that the man who is the speaker is a very fair person. When John Mahama was president, Bagbin took Mahama on. This is how firm the man is and I am sure because it was Bagbin, maybe one or two of the NPP MPs may have voted for Bagbin,” he said.
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According to Mr. Ben Ephson, Alban Bagbin based on his personality qualifies as the right person for the job of Speaker of Ghana’s 8th Parliament.
The race to find Ghana’s 8th Speaker of Parliament went through a long night beginning from midnight of Wednesday, January 7, 2021 and ended around 9:00 am Thursday, January 7, 2021, in a process that would have ordinarily lasted a few hours before the break of dawn.
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The process was characterized by several incidences of chaos and disagreements between the New Patriotic Party side and the National Democratic Congress side of the house.
Mr. Bagbin was eventually declared the winner of the race after votes were eventually counted in yet another chaotic manner that lasted for hours.
The New Speaker following his successful election was sworn in by the Chief Justice and subsequently took his position to swear in members of the 8th Parliament of Ghana’s Fourth Republic.
