Alban Bagbin, the Speaker of Parliament, has dismissed rumors suggesting he met with President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to negotiate a resolution regarding the recent declaration of four parliamentary seats as vacant.
On October 17, Speaker Bagbin declared the parliamentary seats for Fomena, Amenfi Central, Suhum, and Agona West vacant. However, the Supreme Court has since stayed this decision pending further review.
In response to the circulating rumors, a statement from Parliament on October 22 clarified that a video shared on social media, which allegedly depicts Speaker Bagbin in a meeting with President Akufo-Addo, is misleading.
The video actually shows an event from July 4, 2024, during which the Speaker presented the inaugural Democracy Cup to the President, unrelated to current parliamentary matters.
The Speaker’s office condemned the dissemination of false information and reiterated that no negotiations regarding the vacant seats have occurred between him and the President.
“Parliament has been made aware of a video circulating on social media suggesting that the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, was invited to discuss the declaration of the four seats. We categorically state that this claim is false. The video in question was taken during a presentation on July 4, 2024, and is not connected to the recent parliamentary issues,” the statement read.
The circular also urged the public to disregard the misleading video, calling the attempt to misrepresent the situation both disingenuous and unfortunate.
“The public is advised to ignore these attempts to mislead and treat the narrative with the contempt it deserves,” the statement concluded.