Majority questions Minority’s capacity to investigate narcotic seizure after Parliament recall
Richard Acheampong, the Deputy Majority Whip of Ghana's Parliament, has questioned whether the Minority caucus has the expertise to investigate the narcotics seizures that prompted its request for an extraordinary sitting of the House.
Speaking on JoyFM's Top Story on Friday, Acheampong acknowledged the Minority's constitutional right to force the recall. But he challenged its purpose, its cost, and the qualifications of the MPs behind it.
"Do you, Habib, have the capacity to investigate this matter? Are you a narcotic expert?" he asked, addressing Tolon MP Habib Iddrisu, the First Deputy Minority Whip leading the recall effort.
The Minority invoked Article 112(3) of the 1992 Constitution and Order 53 of Parliament's Standing Orders on Friday, September 18. It says it has secured the required 15 per cent of the 276 MPs to trigger the sitting. The stated aim is to investigate a series of narcotics seizures involving consignments linked to Ghana, including shipments reported to be worth over US$1 billion.
Acheampong did not dispute the mechanics of the request. "I've seen the recall notice and it is within their right to. If you have 15% of the 276 Members of Parliament, they can put up a petition and the Speaker has no other reason not to call the House," he said.
His objections were practical. Parliament was recalled from recess less than two weeks ago to vet ministers and judges. It is scheduled to reconvene next month. Acheampong asked why the Minority was forcing another sitting in that window, and who would pay for it.
"So you leading this charge, the question is, are you thinking about the state resources?" he said. "Looking at your numbers, you recall Parliament for one day and you will come to fight on this motion and the motion is lost. Are you thinking about the cost to the state?"
He argued that the government had already moved on the matter. "The government has taken steps to deal with all these matters. A meeting has been convened. Other security agencies have been engaged to deal with all these matters," he said.
That raised a further question, in his telling. If the executive is already investigating, what would a parliamentary inquiry add? "Who's going to do this for you? If the government has gone to sleep, then all of us will be worried. Steps have been taken. So what is the point again?" he added.
Acheampong also noted that the Speaker would decide whether the Minority's request is admissible. He suggested the recall could collapse into a single day of motion debate with no result. "Anything that we do in this country, reasonableness is very important," he said.
The Minority's push comes after reports of major drug seizures tied to Ghanaian consignments. The caucus has framed the recall as a necessary oversight step, a chance for Parliament to scrutinise how the seizures happened and what the state is doing about them. Iddrisu and his colleagues have not yet responded publicly to Acheampong's remarks.
The source material does not specify the exact quantity or street value of the seized narcotics, beyond the US$1 billion figure cited in the Minority's demand. It does not name the countries where the consignments were intercepted, nor the dates of the seizures.
The confrontation sets up a procedural fight when the Speaker rules on the recall petition. The Majority's whip has already signalled that it views the sitting as an expensive exercise in political theatre. The Minority insists the matter is too serious to wait for the next regular session.
According to Joy Online.
