Ghana’s Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has recalled the House from recess for an extraordinary sitting scheduled from August 24 to 28, 2026, a move that has drawn sharp criticism from the Deputy Minority Whip and Member of Parliament for Tolon, Habib Iddrisu.
The recall, invoked under Order 58(4) of the Standing Orders, was announced by the Speaker as necessary to address urgent parliamentary business. However, Mr Iddrisu contends the issues at hand do not justify the additional cost to taxpayers and could have been deferred until the House’s regular resumption.
Speaking on Citi FM on Wednesday, August 12, the Tolon legislator described the recall as “completely unnecessary” and a waste of public funds. He stated the primary purpose of the extraordinary session is to complete the approval process for two ministerial nominees — the Minister-designate for Local Government and the Minister-designate for Environment, Science and Technology.
Mr Iddrisu questioned the urgency surrounding the nominations, noting that both ministries have operated without substantive ministers for nearly a year. He argued that the vetting and approval of the nominees could have been accommodated during the next ordinary sitting, avoiding the expenditure associated with recalling legislators.
The Minority’s position underscores ongoing tensions over parliamentary scheduling and the use of executive authority to convene emergency sessions. The extraordinary sitting is expected to proceed as planned, with the approval of the two ministerial nominees dominating the agenda.