I write this as a rejoinder to an article published by faceless cowards, who from all intentions, peddled spurious falsehood in a failed attempt to injure the peerless reputation of the Venerable Rt. Hon. Speaker of Ghana’s Parliament- Rt. Hon. Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin.

The said article, purportedly written by one ‘Peter Idi Kuubaare’ and published on modernghana.com (https://www.modernghana.com/news/1195173/how-right-honorable-speaker-of-parliament-alban.html), should not only be treated with disdain but should be discarded with all the alacrity that it deserves.

Whilst it is very conspicuous that, the name ‘Peter Idi Kuubaare’ is only a smoke screen employed by the cowardly detractors of the Rt. Hon. Alban Bagbin, to hide behind none-existing names, to do the evil bidding of their paymasters, it is instructive to submit loudly that, the accusations levelled against the Venerable Speaker are spurious, fallacious, not charitable and without any scintilla of truth.

Indeed, the entire article embodies a cocktail of mischief, brewed on the altar of envy, shear hatred, and naked bitterness, just to soil the hard-won reputation of a global icon, who has spent over three decades of his life in humble service to humanity and with the unassailable record of positively impacting the lives of hundreds of thousands within his native region, his country and the world at large.

Contrary to the malicious claim that, the Rt. Hon. ASK Bagbin has become an albatross in the development of the youth in the region, I hope to submit strongly that, throughout his over three decades of active political leadership, he indeed was and still is the springboard through whom many young folks both from the Upper West Region and other parts of the country, have risen to the zenith of their vocations and aspirations.

The Rt. Hon. Bagbin has carved for himself, an enviable reputation in the sphere of mentoring the youth toward their desired career aspirations. This he does through educational sponsorship, political grooming, job opportunities, career guidance, and the provision of a sea of developmental interventions that have positively impacted several lives. His unconditional benevolence, humility, compassion for the poor and downtrodden, are a few of the commendable traits you can always find in him.

These among several other achievements make the Rt. Hon Speaker Bagbin, tower high as one of the most influential and result-oriented politicians the Upper West has ever produced since creation.

To say that, Rt. Hon. Bagbin works against the growth and prosperity of young pollical activists from the region, is just only to confirm that the author is indeed very ignorant of happenings in the region. Once again, it is instructive to mention that, young and very promissory political activists that are fruits of Hon. Bagbin’s mentorship includes the Hon Kale Caezario, Hon Abu K. Kansangbata, Lawyer Abubakar Mutiu-Rahaman, Hon John Bosco Bomansaan, Hon. Eric Faanuba Dakurah, Hon. Edward K. Dery, just to mention but a few.

At the national front, mention can be made of Ghana’s Minority Leader in Parliament, (Hon. Haruna Iddrisu), Hon. Minority Chief Whip (Hon.Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak) and the Hon. MP for Bawku Central (Hon. Mahama Ayariga) are a few of the tall list of Hon. Bagbin’s mentees, who are doing exceptionally well in Ghana’s political space.

The list remains unabated when it comes to those he has mentored and supported in other supportive sectors outside the political realm.

The accusation that, the Rt. Hon. Speaker of Parliament sponsored a team that lost the elections in the November 2022 NDC Regional Delegates Conference, is not only a spurious allegation, but also remains the loud thinking of an ignoramus who only conjectures fallacies and seeks to commercialize his/her ignorance with same.

The Rt. Hon Speaker remains that fatherly figure who does not hold back his Solomonic wisdom or Abrahamic blessing from all those who seek his assistance. At no point in time, or circumstance has the venerable speaker shown preference for any candidate against the other.

Indeed, throughout the NDC’s opposition from 2017 till date, the Rt. Hon. Speaker has remained one of the towering figures, upon whose shoulders the survival of the party rests in the region. This he does so well by putting to the party’s disposal, his vast experience, his resources and his availability when duty calls.

In all these, he has remained enviably compassionate without being biased or showing any form of discrimination against any group of people or persons. I humbly entreat all and sundry, to treat that ill-intended allegation with the contempt that it deserves.

It is rather unfortunate that the faceless author of that article sought to dwell on ethnic and religious bigotry, to incite unfounded hatred against the Speaker. Whilst I strongly condemn that incredible level of shamelessness in no uncertain terms, I will love to re-iterate that, religious tolerance, religious harmony and peaceful co-existence is one area the Rt. Hon. Speaker has earned an enviable reputation.

Again, he towers as one particular political figure, whose love, compassion and generosity know no religious or ethnic barriers. His efforts at building bridges of harmony, to fostering a peaceful co-existence among people of different ethnic background or religious creed is very conspicuous and every religious sect or ethnic group in the Upper West will readily confirm this.

To accuse the Venerable, ASK Bagbin of ethnic or religious bigotry is not different from accusing a man of generating dust in a swimming pool. It simply doesn’t make sense.

The lowest ebb of the submissions made by the faceless Peter Iddi Kuubaare in that infantile publication is his vain effort at attempting to sectionalize the NDC in the Region into Rt. Hon. ASK Bagbin’s supporters, against his Excellency John Dramani Mahama’s supporters. Whilst it is important to discard that notion as the figment of the ignorant writer’s own imagination, it is important to underscore, that some of us have become aware that, that sort of divisive headline is being sponsored by some unscrupulous persons within the ranks of the NDC in the region.

I am aware that, such divisiveness remains their modus operandi to catch the eye of His Excellency John Dramani Mahama whom we all remain committed to seeing him lead the party into victory, come election 2024.

We enjoin the masses of the NDC to treat such disdainful lies with serious contempt. Let it be very clear here that, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama and Rt. Hon. Speaker ASK Bagbin are matured democrats that contested the party’s Presidential Primaries ahead of the 2020 elections, in accordance with the tenets of the NDC Party’s Constitution. They remain very united and solidly committed to the course of the NDC.

Within two years in office so far as Speaker, he is leaving indelible marks in his vision of working relentlessly, to uplift the living standards of the people in the region. Among many commendable interventions so far, mention can be made of the Malik Jabir Sports Stadium in Wa which he graciously renovated with his own personal resources, the ongoing construction of an ultra-modern Assembly Hall for the Wa Senior High School, the administration block and scores of infrastructural interventions for the Sombo Snr High School, the Ultra-modern Astroturf project for the MaCcoy College of education in Nadowli;

fifty thousand Ghana cedis to support the Upper West ambulance project, ultra-modern sound systems for the overlord of the Waala Traditional Area, adoption of a female soccer club, fifty thousand cedis to the Centre for National Culture-UWR, support for the construction of a maternity block at Yaala number one in the Wa East District, among several others which cannot all be here for want of space.

As the Holy Bible says in Mark 6:4-5, “a prophet is not without honour, but in his own country and among his own kin, and in his own house”. If kind-heartedness, good foresight, compassion and magnanimity had a human face, then that must be Rt. Hon. ASK Bagbin. If we cannot canonize him for showing extraordinary goodwill to the Region, it is wrong to attempt smearing his hard-earned reputation with falsehood and hate campaigns. Thank you.