The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, on Wednesday, January 8, 2024, explained why the four independent members in the 9th Parliament have to join either of the two main caucuses – the Majority and the Minority – instead of forming their own caucus.

According to the Speaker, the issue boils down to the total number of independent MPs in the House and the criteria provided by the Standing Orders of Parliament.

Speaker Bagbin explained that, as provided for in the new Standing Orders of Parliament, independent MPs must meet a minimum requirement of seven members to form their own caucus.

He added that with the number of independent MPs in the 9th Parliament standing at four, they fail to meet the criteria, hence the need for them to join either of the two main caucuses.

“We are still talking about Majority and Minority Caucuses because, by our rules, we have made provisions for a third caucus, and that is the Independent Caucus. But we decided that to constitute a third force, that is the Independent Caucus, you needed to have seven independent members in Parliament.

“As of now, we have four, and so the four have not met the threshold of seven,” the Speaker stated during deliberations by the House on the constitution and selection of committees on Wednesday.

He emphasized that for the independent MPs to be duly recognized as members of their chosen caucus, they would have to officially write to his office informing him of their decision.

“My instructions to the four independent members are that they have the option to decide which of the caucuses to officially transact business with in the House. They have that option, and that is usually done officially in writing to the Speaker of Parliament. I will make it known to the House, and it will be captured in the official records of the House.”

The 9th Parliament of Ghana, inaugurated on January 7, 2024, consists of 183 National Democratic Congress (NDC) members forming the Majority, while the opposition New Patriotic Party, which forms the Minority Caucus, is made up of 88 MPs.

Meanwhile, Kpeli Worlasi of Afram Plains North, Kwame Asare Obeng of Gomoa Central, Stanley Yaw Nandaya of Wulensi, and Kwame Ohene Frimpong of Asante Akyem North, who are the independent MPs in the 9th Parliament, have all announced their decision to join the Majority Caucus.

The 9th Parliament is currently without a representative for Ablekuma North, which has been under serious dispute between the NDC and NPP since the December 7, 2024, election.

Watch as Minority Caucus protests Speaker Bagbin's description of them as ‘micro’



GA/KE