It has come to light that the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, officially requested security assistance from the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) to ensure the smooth conduct of parliamentary business, starting Tuesday, October 22, 2024.

This request follows the Speaker’s recent pronouncements during parliamentary proceedings on Thursday, October 17, 2024, which were in response to a call by the Minority Leader. 

The Minority Leader had urged the Speaker to declare four parliamentary seats vacant, citing Articles 97 (1)(g) and (h) of the Constitution. The matter has since stirred public commentary and heightened tensions within Parliament.

As Parliament will be holding its sessions at the Grand Arena of the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC), the Speaker has asked the GAF to carry out specialised security procedures, including canine and bomb sweeps of the chamber, every Tuesday before sittings commence.

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He expressed confidence in the cooperation of the Ghana Armed Forces to maintain peace and order during parliamentary proceedings.

This development comes amid a turbulent political atmosphere, with ongoing disputes over parliamentary seats and leadership claims following recent conflicting rulings from the Speaker and the Supreme Court. 

With both the NDC and NPP contesting for majority control in Parliament, tensions remain high.

In a fresh statement, the GAF corroborated this revelation.

The force rejected media reports that the deployment was occasioned to interfere with Parliamentary proceedings.