The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has cautioned Members of Parliament (MPs) to take their duties seriously and attend sittings consistently or risk having their seats declared vacant.
This warning follows reports of low attendance in Parliament since sittings resumed last week — a trend that has persisted throughout the year.
According to Ghana’s Constitution, any MP who absents themselves for 15 consecutive sittings without permission from the Speaker automatically loses their seat.
Addressing the House on Wednesday, October 29, Mr. Bagbin said he would strictly enforce this constitutional provision during the current session.
“It’s for good reason we decided that we’ll sit in the afternoons so that you can take the morning to attend committee meetings, prepare reports and attend to your constituents, and that by 2 p.m., you should be ready to sit,” he explained.
The Speaker noted that afternoon sittings were introduced to allow MPs to engage ministries and public institutions during regular working hours, while evening sessions were designed to make parliamentary business more accessible to citizens.
“In the evenings, people have the opportunity to sit, watch, advise you, and make inputs. That again we are not taking advantage of. I’m saying this for the last time,” he warned.
Mr. Bagbin disclosed that he had instructed parliamentary clerks to keep detailed attendance records throughout the current session, stressing that sanctions would be applied if absenteeism continued.
“We have the Standing Orders. We know what they say. We’ll be taking action to ensure that members are compelled to sit or be considered to have vacated their seats,” he stated.
Expressing disappointment, he said the growing disregard for plenary sessions was damaging Parliament’s image in the eyes of the public.
“I’m not happy with the way members value plenary sessions,” he said. “You yourselves, those of you who are always here, I see from your faces that you are with me in this matter.”
The Speaker added that he had already compiled attendance data from the first and second meetings of the year but had opted not to release them publicly.
“I decided, for good reason, not to publish them but to give you the last opportunity. It looks like that was a catastrophic mistake I made. I should have brought it out and referred members to the Privileges Committee,” Mr. Bagbin concluded.
