Deputy Majority Leader in Parliament, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has said, ahead of proceedings in the House on Monday evening, the Majority Caucus had no idea about the whereabouts of the Speaker.

Addressing the press, the Effutu MP said the unavailability of the Alban Bagbin might seriously affect government business if he does not show up.

"What we want to insist is that Mr. Speaker must show leadership. In Parliament, leadership is consulted and engaged. We have no information as to the whereabouts of Mr. Speaker. The leadership of the Majority has not been informed about the reasons why Mr. Speaker is unavoidably absent from the chamber of Parliament.

We therefore say that we see this as a grand political partisan design by the Minority group to frustrate us. And we don't want to suggest that perhaps Mr. Speaker is unavoidably absent to frustrate government business. We believe in Mr. Speaker. We believe that he stands for government business to go on and to allow this country to be governed by rule of allow and due process", Mr. Afenyo-Markin stated.

Reacting to the development on PM Express, the Minority Chief Whip, Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka, dismissed suggestions that the Speaker has taken a deliberate leave to frustrate discussions on the report from the Finance Committee regarding the E-levy Bill.

According to him, the Speaker may have taken a break to take his regular medications due to his current health status.

"If Mr. Speaker was there, we'll not even be standing here because they were going to lose the vote. They didn't have all their members in the chamber. I mean, I'm the Chief Whip and every one keeps strategising. I knew at the time that I was calling for the division they didn't have all their members. Let's not pretend as though we don't know that the Speaker is managing his health.

Let's not pretend that we in this house do not know that Speaker is going through treatment. And definitely Speaker gets exhausted and will not be sit the whole day. I'll not be surprised he might have dashed to take his medication to be back", Muntaka explained.

Mubarak Muntaka also added that the prevailing situation should be blamed on the Majority Caucus who failed to hasten their preparations when the Speaker was available.

Meanwhile, Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, says he and his colleagues do not want to ascribe any ill- motive to the Speaker's absence.

He also debunked claims that his side of the House were late in their preparations, thus the current hold up in proceedings.