The Member of Parliament for Bawku Central, Hon. Mahama Ayariga, remains the Majority Leader of Parliament, the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, has ruled.
According to Speaker Bagbin, the communication from the Presidency announcing changes in the Majority leadership was done in procedural error and therefore has no effect.
The Speaker made the clarification at the commencement of an emergency sitting on Monday, August 24, 2026.
The clarification follows a communication from the Presidency on August 7, 2026, announcing a ministerial reshuffle in which Hon. Ayariga was named as Minister-designate for the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, and the MP for Builsa North, Hon. James Agalga, as the new Majority Leader.
The Presidency subsequently communicated the changes to the Speaker.
However, at the start of sitting, Hon. Ayariga, not Hon. Agalga, was seen occupying the Majority Leader’s seat and directing the affairs of the Majority Caucus, a situation that caused visible surprise on the floor.
Addressing the House, Speaker Bagbin stated that the Presidency has no authority to determine the leadership of Parliament.
“Hon. Members, the Presidency has no authority to communicate the change of leadership of the House to the Speaker. And so, the communication was done in error,” he declared.
He explained that per the Standing Orders of Parliament, any change in leadership of the Majority or Minority Caucus must be communicated to the Speaker by the General Secretary of the relevant political party, after the decision has been affirmed by the Caucus itself.
“As you know, the practice is that it is under the hand of the General Secretary of the party that the decision of the party is communicated to the Speaker. That is what has happened so far, and because of earlier disagreements, we had to re-look at it and we all came out with this definition which is captured in the Standing Orders.
“That is why you still see the Majority Leader, Mahama Ayariga, on his seat, because he is still the Majority Leader until otherwise communicated by the party and then decided by the Caucus,” Speaker Bagbin clarified.
He urged Members to take note of the clarification and comply until the correct procedure is followed.
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