In a surprising turn of events, Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin has adjourned the legislative session indefinitely, citing the absence of an agenda and the unexpected nonattendance of the Majority caucus, who originally requested the recall session. This move comes as parliamentary tensions persist, leaving key legislative issues unresolved and raising concerns about the effective functioning of the House.
The session, initially expected to address several pressing matters, was abruptly halted as the Business Committee failed to meet and establish an agenda for deliberation. Speaker Bagbin addressed a nearly empty chamber, expressing disappointment at the lack of engagement from the very group that had initiated the session’s recall. Without the committee’s input or an order paper, Bagbin emphasized, no substantive proceedings could take place.
“Matters they wanted us to handle, which I admitted for consideration from the Business Committee, are not on the Order Paper; in fact, there is no order paper for today because the Business Committee could not meet due to the absence of the people who requested the recall,” Bagbin explained.
He further noted that while a quorum was present, the absence of Majority members and a lack of prepared agenda left the House with no actionable business. Consequently, Bagbin declared, “In view of the failure of the Business Committee to sit, as a result of the refusal of those who requested a recall to show up, we are compelled to once again adjourn the sitting of the House. Knowing the challenges we are facing, it is not advisable to be adjourning from day to day. So, I will proceed once more to adjourn the meeting indefinitely.”
The indefinite adjournment underscores a larger, ongoing dispute between the Majority and Minority caucuses, whose recent clashes over which side holds the majority have disrupted parliamentary proceedings in recent weeks. These unresolved tensions now cast uncertainty over when Parliament will reconvene to address the growing list of critical issues waiting for legislative action.
The indefinite adjournment leaves the legislative agenda for this session in an uncertain state, with the timeline for reconvening and addressing stalled issues remaining unclear.
