Parliament has approved reports on allocations from the 2026 Budget following a heated sitting marked by Minority protests over the declaration of the Kpandai seat as vacant.
The approval came after tension in the chamber, where Minority MPs abandoned their seats and massed at the centre of the floor in protest. The demonstration briefly escalated into a scuffle, prompting parliamentary marshals to intervene. Despite the disruption, the Majority proceeded with the adoption of the allocation reports, a key step in the approval process for the 2026 fiscal policy.
The Minority insists Speaker Alban Bagbin acted prematurely in directing communication to the Electoral Commission (EC) on the vacancy, citing ongoing legal proceedings at the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court. They have vowed to resist government business until the matter is resolved.
After the reports were adopted, the Speaker adjourned the House. Minority leaders later described the approval process as improper, arguing that in their view no government business was conducted.
Reacting to the development on Joy FM on Wednesday, December 10, Majority Leader, Mahama Ayariga said the Minority’s attempt to block debate in the chamber ultimately worked against their own interests.
“What I know is that, as the law is, the Clerk acted properly within the law. He cannot be faulted,” he said. “Once you don’t have an order of the court saying that its judgment should be stayed, the time keeps running. And as we speak, the Clerk, having communicated to the Electoral Commission, the 30 days have started running.”
He argued that Tuesday’s chaos could have been avoided if MPs had allowed a proper discussion on the floor to enable the Speaker to give a ruling.
“What the Speaker actually meant was that we should have allowed a discussion in the chamber in an atmosphere that would enable him to give a ruling. They prevented that from happening,” Ayariga said, adding that “they are the ones who have suffered the legal consequences.”
Confusion erupted on Tuesday night after Minority MPs demanded an adjournment following Speaker Bagbin’s decision to defer his ruling on the Kpandai seat matter. Minority Chief Whip Frank Annoh-Dompreh insisted no government business should continue until the issue was resolved.
But Speaker Bagbin ruled, after a voice vote, that proceedings would continue prompting Minority MPs to chant and attempt to disrupt the sitting.
The tension stems from a letter dated December 4, 2025, in which the Clerk to Parliament formally notified EC Chairperson Jean Mensa of a vacancy in the Kpandai Constituency. The notification followed a High Court ruling ordering a rerun of the 2024 parliamentary election in the area.
The Majority Leader said, they had every right to defend their candidate, just as the Minority had done in similar cases.
“If you feel you should fight for your own, you think we shouldn’t be fighting for ours? How unreasonable could you be especially when the law is on our side?” He said.
He warned that blocking open debate on legal matters in Parliament would undermine democratic foundations.
“If we start allowing that, then we’ll be destroying the democracy,” he said.
The Electoral Commission is expected to issue further directives as preparations begin for the ordered rerun of the Kpandai parliamentary election.
