Mike Oquaye is a 'walking illegality' – Haruna Iddrisu

Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu has described the Speaker of Parliament Prof Aaron Mike Oquaye as a "walking illegailty" after the Speaker suspended the House on Saturday, 4 April 2020 instead of adjourning sittings.

Members of Parliament were supposed to rise sine die (Indefinitely) after Saturday’s sitting but the Speaker citing the current coronavirus health crisis as an excuse rather suspended sittings sine die; a decision that did not go down well with the Minority MPs.

Adjourning sine die meant MPs were on break but with the suspension, they could be called back at anything to deal with any matter that may arise.

“…We are suspending Sitting on this day, and this Honourable House will stand suspended until the Speaker, in consultation with the leadership of the House deem it fit to ask the House to resume sitting. This action is unprecedented but indeed we are living in unprecedented times and the whole Ghana State is in a State of National Emergency,” Prof Oquaye said.

“Hon. Members, we are not rising today but we are suspending sitting indefinitely. If we should rise, then on any emergency where our intervention will be required we may need two weeks notice according to the Constitution and the Standing Orders. Once sitting is suspended we can ask the House to proceed to work in a day or two,” the Speaker explained.

But reacting to the Speaker's action, Mr Iddrisu told journalist that: "Prof. Mike Oquaye…has become a walking illegality and a threat to parliamentary democracy in the country. I will remind him that he is not the House and it is not for nothing that the Standing Orders in Order 42 provide that he (Speaker) should consult the House and not even the leaders [were consulted].”