Absentee MPs: Kennedy Agyapong Blames Ill Health For Absence

Member of Parliament for Assin Central, Kennedy Ohene Agyapong has blamed his absence from parliamentary sittings without the permission of the Speaker, on ill health, the Parliament of Ghana has relayed.

This follows his appearance before the Privileges Committee of Parliament on June 15, 2022.

“The Member of Parliament for Assin Central, Hon. Ken Ohene Agyapong today appeared before the Privileges Committee, to answer questions on why he was absent from the House for more than the stipulated fifteen sitting days during the First Meeting of the Second Session of the Eighth Parliament”, the Parliament of Ghana relayed in a Facebook post.

It added, “the Honourable Member indicated to the House that his absence was inadvertent, due to ill health”.

On April 5, 2022, the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin referred three New Patriotic Party (NPP) Members of Parliament to the Committee of Privileges of Parliament over absenteeism.

The Speaker of Parliament noted that records show that the three legislators have violated the fifteen sittings of a meeting of Parliament threshold as well as the permission in writing form directive.

The three are; Member of Parliament for Assin Central constituency, Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, Member of Parliament for Dome Kwabenya constituency, Sarah Adwoa Sarfo, and Member of Parliament for Ayawaso Central Constituency, Henry Quartey.

The referral was in accordance with Article 97 (1)(c) of the constitution which says that a seat in Parliament will be declared vacant “if he (an MP) is absent, without the permission in writing of the Speaker and he is unable to offer a reasonable explanation to the Parliamentary Committee on Privileges from fifteen sittings of a meeting of Parliament during any period that Parliament has been summoned to meet and continues to meet”.

Source: opemsuo.com/Hajara Fuseini