The National Deputy Communications Director of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Rabi Salifu, has criticised President John Dramani Mahama’s endorsement of Alban Bagbin as Speaker of Parliament.

She described the endorsement as "needless."

Speaking on JoyNews, Hajia Salifu argued that the endorsement bypassed the expected electoral processes within Parliament, undermining the integrity of democratic procedures.

“It was needless for the President to openly say, ‘get this person to be the leader,’ instead of allowing the electoral processes we all expected,” she said on Saturday, January 11.

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Reflecting on the unprecedented nature of the 8th Parliament, Rabi Salifu noted that the hung Parliament created a delicate situation requiring careful navigation. She acknowledged the uniqueness of the period, particularly during the selection of the Speaker, but maintained that Mr. Bagbin's endorsement was unjustified.

“The hung Parliament numbers were very critical, and seeing what happened was only justified by the need to respect due process. However, openly endorsing a candidate detracted from the principle of electoral transparency within Parliament,” she stressed.

Although the Special Aide of President Mahama, Joyce Bawah Mogtari explained that the endorsement was intended to calm and avoid a repeat of the chaos that happened during the inauguration of the 8th Parliament, Mada Salifu dismissed the justification.

“I have listened to other people from different countries, especially Nigeria, who commend Ghana for being largely peaceful from the campaign period through to post-election. There was no need to claim this was about curbing tensions or mitigating potential unrest,” she argued.

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