NPP Puts Forward Prof. Ocquaye Again As Speaker Plenipotentiary

Speaker of the outgoing Seventh Parliament, Prof. Aaron Mike Ocquaye, has been put forward by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) again as prospective Speaker of the Eighth Parliament of the Fourth Republic, pending the sorting of which of the two major parties in Ghana forms the Majority Parliament.

Whoever forms the majority seats in parliament between the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) is entitled to appoint the Speaker.

The shenanigans between the two parties have hit a peak as they both have 137 seats, with one independent candidate making up the total constituencies of 275. With the Hohoe constituency and the Techiman constituency caught in dispute, the NDC may end up having the majority of 137 while the two seats being contested by the NPP will drop its tally in Parliament to 135.

According to reports, Ocquaye received the second nod from the NPP after a crunch meeting of the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) in Accra today.

Prof. Ocquaye must now wait to see how the various court petitions against the declared winners of a number of contentious Parliamentary elections pan out.

Outcomes of the court issues, including the cases on Techiman South, and Hohoe will determine whether the NDC or the NPP will form the majority in Parliament.

Where the NDC forms a majority in Parliament, the NDC will appoint the Speaker.

Meanwhile, Majority Leader, Osei Kyei Mensa Bonsu, also retained his position as leader of the NPP in Parliament and will either be Majority or Minority Leader depending on whether the NPP forms the majority side or not.

Effutu MP, Alexander Afenyo Markins is to be the leader of the NPP Caucus in Parliament (either majority of minority) while Frank Annor Dompreh is to be Chief Whip.