North Tongu lawmaker, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has disclosed that there is a backlog of approximately 700 cases awaiting investigation by various committees within Parliament.

Both the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, and several Members of Parliament have expressed concern over the prolonged timeframe taken by designated committees to furnish plenary with their investigative reports on pressing issues.

Expressing frustration over the sluggish pace of proceedings, Mr Ablakwa highlighted a specific instance concerning the Majority Caucus's apparent delay in finalising the composition of its members on an ad-hoc committee tasked with probing matters related to the stalled National Cathedral project.

The North Tongu lawmaker, urged Speaker Bagbin to take decisive action against such delays, emphasising the importance of Parliament fulfilling its constitutional mandate promptly.

“We are either taking our constitutional mandate seriously or not. The people don’t elect us to come to this House to waste time and not attend to matters urgently and to derelict on our constitutional mandate, and so I think it is time to crack the whip,” stated Mr Ablakwa.

He further cited a startling revelation made by the clerk during a recent workshop, indicating a substantial backlog of 700 referrals yet to be addressed.

Such a backlog, Mr Ablakwa emphasised, reflects poorly on the efficiency and effectiveness of Parliament in fulfilling its duties to the Ghanaian populace.