Interesting things to know about Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin

Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, a politician from Ghana, was born on September 24, 1957. He is currently the Speaker of the Ghanaian Parliament. From January 2012[6] until Hanny-Sherry Ayittey assumed leadership of the Ghanaian government's Ministry of Health in February 2013, he held the job. In the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh parliaments of the fourth republic of Ghana, he represented the Nadowli West constituency in the Upper West Region as a member of parliament.

He ran for the position of the National Democratic Congress' presidential candidate in 2019, but John Dramani Mahama ultimately defeated him. Bagbin was chosen as Speaker of the Eighth Parliament of the Fourth Republic on January 7, 2021.

Since Ghana decided to revert to constitutional governance in 1992, Alban Bagbin has undoubtedly been the Speaker of Parliament who has been the most outspoken and public.

For the first time in the 64-year-old democratic nation's history, the military entered the chamber to restore order among MPs when the House became chaotic following his election.

The Minority and Majority parties in the House each have 137 seats, giving them a slight lead in the hung parliament. However, one independent candidate is a supporter of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP).

Some Fascinating Facts About Alban Bagbin

First Opposition Speaker

A member of the opposition has been chosen to serve as Speaker of Parliament and report to a president from a different party for the first time in Ghana's political history. Bagbin, a steadfast supporter of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), claimed in his first speech to the House that he had received 138 votes to his rival's 136 in the 275-seat body. This indicates that he benefited from receiving a second vote from a ruling party member.

Longest Serving Member Of Parliament

The Executive Masters in Governance and Leadership graduate from the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), who served in the House of Representatives since 1993, when the Fourth Republic's first parliament was inaugurated, was the longest-serving member of parliament in Ghana.

In the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh parliaments of the fourth republic of Ghana, he represented the Nadowli West constituency in the Upper West Region as a member of parliament. He ran for the position of the National Democratic Congress' presidential candidate in 2019, but John Dramani Mahama ultimately defeated him. [8] Bagbin was chosen as Speaker of the Eighth Parliament of the Fourth Republic on January 7, 2021.

Political Ambition

Since he originally declared his ambition to run for president on the NDC ticket in 2006, Bagbin has had his sights on the nation's top political position. He was awarded the position of Majority Leader in Parliament despite never running in the party's primary elections. He did, however, resurrect his bid for the presidency in 2019, but John Mahama defeated him in the primaries. One of his allies, the general secretary of the opposition party, said he has reservations about Bagbin's desire to run for president after accepting the Speaker's job as the general elections for 2024 approach.

First Speaker To Drop The Foreign Cloak And Welcomed Traditional Wears

Many were startled when Bagbin chose indigenous Ghanaian attire instead of the ceremonial, colonial cloak of the Speaker that was passed down from the British. He explained his choice, stating that it was made to promote Ghanaian culture due to the robe's aristocratic nature. The colonial robe, he said, might be worn for ceremonial purposes.

He wrote on Facebook that the Ghanaian Parliament is a special product manufactured in Ghana, and they need to promote and advertise it to the world as a brand. To distinguish Ghana’s Parliament from the colonial relics of the British system, they must establish a distinctive set of values and norms.

He Used Soldiers As Bodyguards

In Ghana's current democratic system, Bagbin is the first leader of the legislative body to ask the Armed Forces for soldiers to serve as his guardians. The military high command removed its personnel in January of this year, claiming they had been released to him, even though no official explanations for the request had been provided.