The 9th Presidential and Vice Presidential inauguration of the 4th Republic of Ghana, held on Tuesday, January 7, 2024, came with many unprecedented feats.
President John Dramani Mahama, who was sworn into office for an unprecedented 2nd non-consecutive term, became the first democratically elected leader in the history of Ghana to hold the Sword of the State three times and is in line to become the longest-serving democratically elected president of the country.
Ghana also saw its first female Vice President, Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, who was sworn-in by a female Chief Justice, Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, another first.
However, the man who conducted the inauguration, the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, shattered a number of records himself after being re-elected as Speaker of Parliament before the Presidential and Vice Presidential inauguration.
Below are the records broken or set by Speaker Bagbin:
– The only person to have been in Parliament since 1993
During the inauguration on January 7, 2024, Speaker Bagbin, in response to a remark by former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, jokingly described Parliament as “My Kingdom.”
But is it not?
Bagbin has been in Parliament since the inception of the 4th Republic. From January 1993 to January 2005, he was the Member of Parliament for Nadowli West.
From January 2005 to January 2021, he was the Member of Parliament for Nadowli North, following the division of the Nadowli West Constituency.
From 2021 to date, he has been the Speaker of Parliament. Meaning, Speaker Bagbin has been in Parliament for the entire life of the 4th Republic.
Throughout his stay in Parliament, Speaker Bagbin has held various positions in both the leadership and committees of the House.
He has been Minority Leader, Majority Leader, and has risen to the Speaker of Parliament, probably the only person to have achieved this feat.
Throughout these roles in Parliament, Bagbin has held several ministerial positions. He has been a Minister of Health and also a Minister of Water Resources, Works, and Housing.
– The only Speaker sponsored by a party in the opposition
Bagbin is also the only person to have won the speakership position with the sponsorship of a political party in opposition (NDC).
Bagbin won the speakership position on January 7, 2021, after his nomination by his party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), beating former Speaker of Parliament Prof Aaron Mike Oquaye, the nominee of the then-ruling New Patriotic Party.
Before Bagbin’s election, all Speakers of Parliament the country has had were sponsored by the political parties of the ruling governments.
Daniel Francis Anna was sponsored by his party, the NDC; and Peter Ala Adjetey, the NPP.
The same can be said for Ebenezer Sekyi Hughes, who was sponsored by the NPP; Joyce Adeline Bamford-Addo, by the NDC; Edward Adjaho, the NDC; and Aaron Mike Oquaye, the NPP.
– The 2nd Speaker of Parliament to serve 2 terms
Bagbin, who was the Speaker of the 8th Parliament of the 4th Republic, was re-elected and sworn in as the Speaker of the 9th Parliament on January 7, 2024.
This makes him the second Speaker of Parliament in the history of the country to serve in the speakership position for 2 terms.
Only one Speaker had chalked this feat in the 4th Republic before Bagbin, in the person of Daniel Francis Anna.
Francis Anna was the Speaker of the 1st Parliament and the 2nd Parliament.
Peter Ala Adjetey, the Speaker of the 3rd Parliament of the 4th Republic, served for one term. Ebenezer Sekyi Hughes, the Speaker of the 4th Parliament, served one term.
Speakers Joyce Adeline Bamford-Addo, Edward Adjaho, and Aaron Mike Oquaye of the 5th, 6th, and 7th Parliaments, respectively, all served for only one term.
Below is a list of Speakers of Parliament and their tenure:
2nd longest-serving Speaker of Parliament:
Speaker Bagbin, if he is able to complete his 2nd term, would be equaling the record of the longest-serving Speaker of Parliament.
This record is currently held by Daniel Francis Anna, who served as Speaker from January 1993 to January 2001 – 8 years.
Second to Francis Anna is Speaker Joseph Richard Asiedu, the 1st Speaker of the 1st Republic, who served from July 1960 to June 1965 – 5 years.
If Bagbin completes his 2nd term, which is expected to end in January 2029, he will have served in the position for 8 years – making him the 2nd longest-serving Speaker of Parliament.
BAI/MA
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