Parliament adjourns today

Parliament will adjourn sine die today, the Deputy Majority Leader, Alexander Kwamina Afenyo-Markin, has announced.

He said the First Meeting of the Second Session of the Eighth Parliament would end today after presenting the Business Statement for this week last Friday.

"In this regard, the Business Committee entreats Members to continue to devote themselves to the scheduled business for the week under consideration to enable the House to adjourn on the proposed Tuesday, April 5," he stated.

Presidential staffers

The issue over the delay of the relay of information on the number of Presidential staffers and those on secondment from public institutions at the Presidency to Parliament resulted in an exchange of words between the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) MP for Effutu, Mr Afenyo-Markin.

The issue came up after Mr Afenyo-Markin had presented the Business Statement to Parliament for this week indicating that the House would rise for the Easter break today (Tuesday).

According to Mr Ablakwa, the President was in breach of Section 11 of the Presidential Office Act 1993, Act 463.

The Presidential Office Act, 1993 (Act 463) Section 11- Annual Report says that the President shall within three months after the end of each financial year submit to Parliament an annual report containing the number of Presidential staff employed at the office, the rank or grade of such staff and employees in other public services assigned to the office.

Mr Ablakwa, therefore, called on the President to comply with the provision in line with the Presidential Office Act as the President projected himself as the paragon of the rule of law.

But Mr Afenyo-Markin did not take kindly to the choice of language by Mr Ablakwa on his comments about the President.

He, therefore, demanded a retraction of the language used by Mr Ablakwa that led to the banter.

Whereas Mr Afenyo-Markin shouted at Mr Ablakwa "You will withdraw your words about the President and be courteous to him", Mr Okudzeto Ablakwa on the other hand responded "I won't withdraw, no one is a child here".

The exchanges got the entire House joining in by also shouting in support of their members on their feet.