Connect with us

Ghana News

Why Ghana’s Parliament Broke Into Chaos on Tuesday, December 9: A Breakdown

Published

on

In the hallowed halls of Ghana’s Parliament, where the nation’s lawmakers are meant to debate the future with measured words, the session on Tuesday December 9, 2025, devolved into a raw display of frustration and fury.

What started as a procedural spat over a vacant constituency seat exploded into a near-brawl, with MPs from the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) surging toward each other like waves crashing in a storm.

Papers flew like confetti at a funeral, and voices rose not in debate, but in barely contained rage. This wasn’t theater; it was the unvarnished strain of a democracy under pressure, where old grudges and fresh power plays collide.

At the heart of the melee was the declaration of the parliamentary seat of a constituency, (Kpandai) as vacant—a move the NPP Minority Caucus has branded unlawful and a blatant procedural sleight-of-hand.

The seat, in the northern region, has been a flashpoint since its MP’s disqualification, with the opposition insisting the process reeks of partisanship aimed at tilting the balance in the NDC’s favor ahead of key votes.

For the NPP, the declaration of the seat vacant is more than a technicality; it’s a symbol of how the majority’s grip on power can squeeze out fair play, leaving ordinary Ghanaians—farmers in Kpandai’s dusty markets, teachers in underfunded schools—voiceless in the halls that claim to represent them.

The then-legislator for Kpandai, Matthew Nyindam, who won the seat on the ticket of the NPP, was disqualified after the Tamale High Court’s annulled the 2024 Parliamentary election results that brought him to Parliament. The court annulled election results over election irregularities.

The chaos on Tuesday unfolded in the late afternoon, as the House grappled with routine business.

Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga, the Bawku Central lawmaker, known for his sharp tongue, set the tone by brushing off the Minority’s protests as “continuous and orchestrated.” He accused them of “noise-making and unruly behaviour” to block the Speaker, Alban Bagbin, from ruling on the Kpandai issue, framing it as deliberate sabotage of parliamentary work.

Ayariga’s words landed like a match on dry grass. Enter Minority Chief Whip Frank Annoh-Dompreh, the Nsawam-Adoagyiri representative whose retorts carry the weight of a man who’s seen too many battles in this chamber.

“Government business will continue to suffer until the Kpandai matter is resolved,” he fired back, his voice cutting through the murmurs like a blade.

That warning was the spark.

NPP MPs abandoned their seats en masse, marching to the chamber’s center in a unified chant of defiance. The Speaker, Alban Bagbin, urged calm, but the tide had turned. NDC members pushed forward in response, and suddenly the floor was a scrum—bodies jostling, faces inches apart, accusations hurled like punches.

Among the fray was Rev. Ntim Fodjour, the Assin South MP, a clergyman-turned-politician whose usual sermons on unity gave way to a red-faced tirade at a fellow lawmaker. Eyewitness accounts from the gallery describe a scene straight out of a village dispute: no fists thrown, thank God, but the air thick with the kind of tension that lingers long after the gavel falls.

As the dust settled, literally, with scattered documents marking the battlefield, the session adjourned without resolution. No votes were cast, no bills advanced. Just a stark reminder that Ghana’s vaunted “fourth republic,” now over three decades old, still grapples with the basics of civilized discord.

The Kpandai vacancy isn’t isolated—it’s part of a pattern where electoral disputes fester into institutional crises, eroding public trust one chaotic day at a time. When MPs can’t disagree without descending into disorder, what hope for the constituents they serve? Ghanaians deserve better than spectacle; they need stewards who fight with facts, not fury.

Reactions poured in swiftly.

NPP leaders decried the Majority NDC’s “arrogance,” vowing to escalate protests if the Speaker doesn’t intervene. The NDC, meanwhile, spun it as the opposition’s “desperation,” a tired tactic from a party still smarting from recent losses.

For now, the Kpandai seat hangs in limbo, a microcosm of Ghana’s macro tensions. As Parliament reconvenes on Wednesday, all eyes will be on whether cooler heads prevail.

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Ghana News

Ghana’s Nationwide Flood Clean-Up Kicks Off with Slow Start

Published

on

ACCRA, Ghana – July 10, 2026 – A two-day nationwide clean-up exercise across seven flood-ravaged regions began Friday morning sluggishly.

Authorities have been urging residents, businesses, and institutions to ramp up participation as teams work to clear refuse, desilt choked drains, and restore public spaces following recent devastating floods.

The exercise, which commenced at 6:00 am local time, will run until 1:00 pm and resume on Saturday, July 11, during the same hours. While early-morning activity in several metropolitan areas was initially subdued, officials report that momentum is gradually building as local assemblies, waste management contractors, security services, and volunteer groups deploy to designated hotspots.

According to the government’s outlined schedule, the first day focuses on Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs), public and private institutions, educational bodies, and waste management firms.

Saturday’s phase will pivot toward community-led efforts, tapping into residents, traditional authorities, and volunteer networks to drive localized clean-up at the grassroots level.

In a bid to maximize turnout, non-essential shops, markets, and commercial establishments within the seven affected regions have been ordered to shut their doors from 6:00 am to 1:00 pm on both days, with exemptions granted only to essential and emergency service providers.

The Ministry has called on transport operators, religious groups, and corporate entities to actively back the initiative, framing it as a critical step toward restoring safe, hygienic communities after the flooding crisis.

Greater Accra, the epicenter of the recent deluge, hosts the bulk of the operation, with authorities identifying 104 flood-prone and affected locations across 17 assemblies. Key areas include, Ga South (Tetegu, STC, Mallam East, New Weija), Ga Central (Awoshie, Kolegu, Israel, A-Land), Ga North (Pokuase Footbridge, Ofankor Barrier), and Ga East (Dome Market, Abokobi Drain). In the capital’s core, heavy machinery and manual crews are converging on major drainage arteries such as Alajo, Kokomlemle, Pig Farm, Mamobi, Nima Highway, the Kanda stretch to Kawukudi, and the 37 Hospital corridor. Coastal communities like Teshie-Nungua, Prampram, Sege, and Tema West’s industrial and residential zones are also actively participating.

Despite the tepid start, authorities remain optimistic that participation will surge as the morning progresses, setting the stage for an even more robust community-driven effort on Saturday.

The exercise represents the government’s most visible response to the recent flooding emergency, mobilizing public administration and local governance structures to tackle the immediate environmental and health hazards facing affected populations.

Continue Reading

Ghana News

Top 10 Newspaper Front Page Headlines in Ghana Today: Friday, July 10, 2026

Published

on

Top 10 news stories on Ghanaian newspaper front pages dated Friday, July 10, 2026.

1. GHC350m Contingency Fund Release Controversy

  • Appears in: The New Publisher, The Ghanaian Publisher, The Custodian, The Chronicle
  • Summary: The Attorney General is under fire for allegedly instructing the Bank of Ghana to release GHC 350 million from the frozen Contingency Fund for flood relief, despite a court order blocking it. The Minority in Parliament is demanding a probe and blasting the AG’s “lawless” approach.

2. Abu Trica Extradited to US Over $8m Romance Scam

  • Appears in: Daily Guide, Ghanaian Times, The New Publisher
  • Summary: Socialite Abu Trica has been extradited to the United States to face charges related to an alleged $8 million romance fraud scheme. The extradition happened despite a lack of a court order reversing the decision on the Black Volta project (mentioned in related coverage).

3. GJA Gives NDC Chairman Seven Days to Apologise Over Obaatanpa Radio Attack

  • Appears in: Supreme, Daily Guide
  • Summary: The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) has given the Central Regional Chairman of the NDC a seven-day ultimatum to apologise for an attack on Obaatanpa Radio. The incident has sparked significant backlash.

4. Gomoa East NPP Rallies Behind Francis Mensah for Chairman

  • Appears in: Supreme, The Ghanaian Publisher, The Custodian, The Metro Lens
  • Summary: The Gomoa East Constituency of the NPP is rallying to elect Francis Mensah as the next Constituency Chairman. This grassroots movement is a major story across multiple papers.

5. Azumah Resources Denies Reversal of Black Volta Project Ownership

  • Appears in: News Centa, The Chronicle, Daily Guide
  • Summary: Azumah Resources Ghana Ltd has refuted false media reports claiming that an ICC ruling reversed the acquisition of the Black Volta project. They insist they still own the project, calling the reports “a big lie.”

6. Amankwaa Donates GHC 100,000 Seed Fund to Ayawaso West NPP

  • Appears in: Supreme, News Centa
  • Summary: Samuel Owusu Amankwaa has donated GHC 100,000 as a seed fund to the Ayawaso West Wuogon NPP constituency ahead of the election of new executives.

7. North Dayi Boils Over: “Joycelyn Must Go” Protests

  • Appears in: Supreme
  • Summary: Residents of North Dayi are up in arms, with protests erupting under the banner “Joycelyn Must Go.” The protesters are chanting “Enough is Enough” over local grievances.

8. NHIA Cracks Down on Illegal Charges in Eastern Region

  • Appears in: The Metro Lens
  • Summary: The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has launched a crackdown on illegal charges being imposed on patients in the Eastern Region. The NHIA Boss is leading the effort.

9. $208m Methamphetamine Scandal

  • Appears in: The Ghanaian Publisher, The Custodian
  • Summary: An MP is demanding the prosecution of officials involved in a $208 million methamphetamine scandal. There are also calls for the government to name officials implicated, with accusations of a cover-up.

10. National Sanitation Exercise and Flood Recovery Clean-Up

  • Appears in: Supreme, The Punch, The New Publisher, News Centa
  • Summary: A nationwide clean-up exercise is underway to aid flood recovery, with various political figures and MCEs rallying residents to participate. The exercise is scheduled for the weekend, with a focus on recovery from recent floods.
Continue Reading

Ghana News

President Mahama Backs Tighter Checks on His Own Office in Upcoming Constitution Vote

Published

on

President John Dramani Mahama has announced that Ghana’s Cabinet will meet on Friday, July 10, 2026, to finalise the government’s position paper on constitutional reform.

The process is expected to recommend significant curbs on executive power, including tighter checks on the presidency itself.

The reforms stem from a year-long nationwide consultation conducted by the eight-member Constitutional Review Committee (CRC), chaired by Professor Henry Kwasi Prempeh, which submitted its final report to the President in December 2025.

The committee’s report, titled “Transforming Ghana: From Electoral Democracy to Developmental Democracy,” addressed perennial governance challenges and recommended measures to strengthen institutional checks and balances.

Speaking at the Jubilee House on Tuesday during a farewell ceremony for Switzerland’s outgoing Ambassador to Ghana, Simone Giger, President Mahama confirmed that significant progress had been made.

“I am pleased to inform you that we have made significant progress. Cabinet is scheduled to meet on Friday to finalise the Government’s Position Paper on the Constitutional Review,” President Mahama said.

He explained that once Cabinet concludes its work, the Legal Counsel and the Attorney-General would take one or two weeks to consolidate the document. It would then be handed over, together with the CRC’s report, to the Constitutional Review Implementation Committee to begin implementation.

President Mahama described the 1992 Constitution as one of the finest Ghana has ever had, noting that it had provided the foundation for the Fourth Republic — the longest-serving republic in the country’s history.

“We therefore believe that any amendments to the Constitution should strengthen it further and ensure that it remains a living document capable of serving Ghana effectively for the next three decades and beyond,” he said.

The Constitutional Review Committee’s recommendations are understood to include proposals to separate the Executive from the Legislature — preventing Members of Parliament from being appointed as ministers — as well as measures to decentralise power and enhance accountability.

The committee also recommended amendments to Chapter 25 of the Constitution to introduce a third route for amending entrenched provisions.

Ambassador Giger, who has supported the constitutional reform process throughout her four-year tenure in Ghana, welcomed the progress.

“We have always rooted for Ghana because we genuinely believe that constitutional reform is central to the country’s future development,” she said, adding, “If Ghana succeeds in adopting a truly people’s constitution, one that decentralises power, strengthens checks and balances on the Executive, and incorporates the many important reforms currently under consideration, I believe the future of this country will be exceptionally bright.”

President Mahama also used the occasion to acknowledge Switzerland’s support for Ghana’s small and medium enterprises, particularly in agro-processing and agribusiness, an area he described as one of the missing links in the country’s agricultural value chain.

The constitutional review process, initiated in 2025, follows two previous attempts that failed to build sufficient consensus for significant change.

The government has pledged to establish the Constitutional Review Implementation Committee to oversee the roll-out of the reforms.

Once the position paper is finalised and consolidated, it will be made public and subjected to the necessary constitutional and parliamentary scrutiny.

Continue Reading

Trending