Speaker of Parliament: Is Joyce Bamford-Addo staying or...?

As the fifth parliament under the fourth republic of Ghana nears dissolution, the debate over who becomes the speaker for the sixth parliament, which comes into session on January 7, 2013 has begun.

Ghana has seen four Speakers of Parliament since the start of the Fourth Republic in 1992. The first was the late Justice D.F. Annan who served two terms in office from January 1993 and retired in January 2001.

He was followed by the late Peter Ala Adjetey in 2001; a lawyer whose baritone reverberated anytime he bellowed “order” on the floor of parliament. In 2005 however, the NPP government decided to select another personality much to the chagrin of the NDC who were in the minority.

President Kufuor at the time proposed Lawyer Enoch Begyina Sekyi-Hughes who also served a term until 2009 when the NDC took over and introduced the very first female Speaker of Parliament in the history of Ghana – former Supreme Court judge, Justice Joyce Bamford Addo.

Even before the last session of the Fifth Parliament of the Fourth Republic of Ghana comes to an end, speculations are rife about who fills the position of the third most important office in the land if it becomes vacant.

Current first deputy speaker of parliament, Doe Adjaho, former first deputy speaker of parliament, Ken Dzirasah and former Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Dr. Obed Asamoah are names that have been speculated to be on the list of the president for nomination.

Speculation of these names perhaps confirms indications that the current speaker, Joyce Banford Addo could retire when the current parliament ends sittings at midnight on January 6 2013.

The National Democratic Congress' (NDC) Member of Parliament-elect for Salaga South and the current MP for the Salaga constituency in the Northern Region told Breakfast XYZ the first female speaker had asked for just a term, hence she might not continue to chair the business of the house in the next parliament.

Espousing the credentials of the current Speaker, Hon Ibrahim Dey said: “I hope she is retained because I really admire the lady… I think she is one of the best. She is not biased at all.”

Hon. Ibrahim Dey also commented on some of the names that have been speculated to take over from Justice Joyce Banford Addo. He however added that: “[In my] opinion, [Doe] Adjaho is one of the best I have come across but I don't think Adjaho would like to leave his seat…”

Hon. Dey indicated that in reaching a regional balance, it is likely that the president will settle on a Voltarian seeing that the President himself is a northerner and the Vice President Kwesi Amissah Arthur is an Akan. He nonetheless stressed that the regional balance principle is second only to competence.

“Mind you the speaker is the third in command. As soon as the president and the Vice President [are] not there, he is supposed to be the president of the nation so he should be a man of substance, a woman of substance, a woman of calibre; in-fact having the same requisite qualification that the President has,” he stressed.