2020 elections: 2nd Deputy Speaker was like a demon to NPP – Bagbin

Ghanaians voted for change, Bagbin

Andrew Asiamah elected as 2nd deputy speaker in 8th Parliament

Bagbin criticizes NPP, says Fomena MP now their Saviour

The Speaker of

Read full articletarget='_blank' href='/GhanaHomePage/people/person.php?ID=3205'>Parliament, Rt.Hon. Alban Bagbin, has lamented the way and manner in which the New Patriotic Party treated one of its own, Andrew Asiamah, ahead of the 2020 general elections.

The NPP in the lead up to the 2020 elections wrote to then Speaker of Parliament, Professor Aaron Mike Ocquaye, to declare the Fomena seat vacant as the MP, Andrew Asiamah, served notice to contest the elections as an independent candidate.

“The Member of Parliament for the Fomena Constituency in the Ashanti Region, Amoako Andrew Asiamah, who was elected to parliament on the ticket of the Party, has filed to contest as an Independent Parliamentary Candidate,” NPP General Secretary, John Boadu said in a statement.

“By so doing, he has presumably vacated his seat in Parliament pursuant to Article 97(1)(g) of the 1992 Constitution of the Republic,” the statement added.

Professor Aaron Mike Ocquaye consequently granted the request of the NPP.

“With all intents and purposes, he is no longer a member of the party. He has pronounced himself publicly as an independent and has filed his papers to compete against the party in his official candidate as an independent on 7th December 2020. Having forfeited the membership of the party on whose ticket he was elected, to parliament, the operative language of the constitution is that, he shall – which is mandatory – vacate his seat in Parliament”, he said.

But commenting on the 2020 elections at a forum for former Members of Parliament (MPs) on Thursday, December 23, 2021, Alban Bagbin said the Fomena MP became the saviour of the NPP having won his reelection bid as an independent candidate and choosing to do business with the NPP side in the 8th Parliament to make them the majority group.

“You will realize in the 2020 elections, there was a change. Ghanaians decided ‘no’…this kind of overwhelming majority, we no longer will support it. We no longer will allow parliament to continue to be a rubber stamp of the executive and so they voted for what we have 137 – 137. 137 males..20 females each. This is a very clear indication that Ghanaians want change. So it's not only 137- 137..the women it's 20 – 20. One of the prodigal sons of the NPP[Andrew Asiamah] whom they cast out as if he was a demon is now their saviour. He contested as an independent and he’s the only independent NPP in the House,” he said.

Andrew Asiamah at the inauguration of the 8th parliament on January 7, 2021, was elected as the second deputy speaker.