Order NPP caucus to sit on Majority side of Parliament – Afenyo Markin tells Speaker

aàMember of Parliament for Effutu, Alexander Afenyo-Markin has called on the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin to declare the New Patriotic Party (NPP) as the majority side in the eighth Parliament.

Afenyo Markin in a statement addressed to the Speaker premised his request on the suggestion that the NPP “constitute the Majority Caucus of this House with a total strength of 138 seats against the NDC side of 137 seats”, following the independent Member of Parliament for Fomena, Andrew Amoako Asiamah’s expression of his willingness to side with the NPP.

He has therefore asked the Speaker to “order that the NPP Caucus sits on the right of the aisle” of Parliament.

Mr. Markin also requested for the formation of the various Committees in the House “to tilt in favour of the NPP caucus.”

Ghana has been left with an unprecedented hung Parliament after the 2020 polls.

In contrast to 2016 where the NPP secured a record majority with 169 seats in Parliament, the governing party's representation dropped to 137 seats in Parliament.

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) matched the NPP by also winning 137 seats in Parliament, the highest ever proportion of seats held by an opposition party in Ghana's fourth republic.

The two parties were joined by an independent candidate who won the Fomena seat.

Mr. Markin’s request comes days after NDC MPs, during the inauguration of the 8th Parliament filled the right side of the Speaker to indicate that they were on the majority side of Parliament.

— citinewsroom