The New Patriotic Party (NPP) caucus in Parliament has clarified that their memo to Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin, requesting the House to be recalled, did not invoke any constitutional provision.

According to the NPP, the memo was discretionary, giving the Speaker the option to exercise his judgment.

“If you look at our memo, what we sought to do was to give the discretion to the Speaker. ...We did not trigger any constitutional provision,” the Deputy Majority Chief Whip, Habib Iddrisu said on JoyFM’s Top Story on Tuesday, November 26.

Mr Iddrisu explained that the memo relied on Parliament's Standing Orders, specifically Orders 57 and 58, which grant the Speaker the discretion to reconvene the House.

• Read also: ‘NDC Majority Caucus’ urges Speaker to reject NPP MPs’ recall request

He criticised the National Democratic Congress (NDC) caucus for creating confusion instead of working toward reconciliation and building consensus for Parliament to reconvene.

The NPP Majority had requested that the Speaker reconvene Parliament before the end of November to address critical matters essential to the government’s operations.

In a memo to the Speaker, Alexander Afenyo-Markin stressed the importance of the recall, stating, “These are high-priority businesses for the Government.”

He added that reconvening Parliament would "demonstrate that, even as we approach the peak of the electoral season, Parliament remains steadfast in its constitutional duties and committed to advancing the national interest through bipartisan cooperation."

However, the NDC caucus in a memo signed by its leader, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, called on Speaker Bagbin to reject the recall request.

• Read also: Majority requests recall of Parliament

The NDC contended that the request failed to meet the constitutional and procedural requirements outlined in Article 112(3) and Standing Order 53(1) of Parliament.

Dr Forson argued that the NPP MPs’ request did not satisfy the necessary legal thresholds for a recall and urged Speaker Bagbin to exercise his discretion to reject the NPP’s petition.

On the back of this, the Deputy Majority Chief Whip asserted that it is not within the purview of the NDC caucus leader, Dr Ato Forson, to decide when government business should be conducted.

He dismissed the NDC’s suggestion that MPs need the remaining time before the December 7 general elections to campaign and engage with constituents, questioning whether MPs would risk losing their seats for dedicating two days to Parliamentary sittings.

Mr Iddrisu stated that MPs are elected to serve in Parliament and conduct government business, asserting, “When we are called upon as Members of Parliament to attend to the urgency of the House, we ought to do that.”