Parliamentary Service Debunks False Claims About Speaker Bagbin

The Parliamentary Service of Ghana strongly denies fake news pushed out on social media about the Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, with a misleading video purporting that the Speaker was invited to a meeting with the President to negotiate some kind of settlement concerning his recent decision on the parliamentary seats of four MPs.

This statement is candid in debunking the claims as having no substance. It explains that the video in question dates back to July 4, 2024, when Rt. Hon. Bagbin led a delegation to present the maiden Democracy Cup to the President. Unfortunately, this video is being manipulated and misrepresented to dent the image of the Speaker and thereby impugn the credibility of Parliament.

The Parliamentary Service stresses that this misinformation forms part of an attempt to deceive the public and undermine trust in one of Ghana's highest institutions. It calls on all Ghanaians to reject these fabrications and treat such false narratives with disdain.

This is developing in a highly politicized environment, especially after the Speaker's pronouncement on 17th October 2024, following a request by the Minority Leader for the seats of the four Members of Parliament to be declared vacant. In a year when a series of important political events are in the offing for the country, the importance of truthful information simply cannot be over-emphasized.

To that connection, Ghanaians are advised to be constantly wide awake and cautious when consuming news emanating from social media, knowing very well that there is a high possibility for disinformation to spread like wildfire in these digital media times. The integrity of Parliament and that of the leadership must, therefore, be paramount.

The letter reads:

PARLIAMENTARY SERVICE
Parliament House - Accra (Ghana)
Telephone Nos: 0302 633 030
0302.668 530
0302 664 042
E-mail: clerkta parliament gh
Website www parliament. gh
M. Re NO D/MR/ 07
Your Ref
And Odober 1024
ATTN: EDITOR
ALL MEDIA HOUSES
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TREAT WITH DISDAIN
TEMPTS TO SMEAR THE SPEAKER OF PARLIAMENT
The attention of Parliament has been drawn to a video circulating on social media insinuating that the Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin has been invited to a meeting with the President to negotiate a settlement in respect of the pronouncement by the Rt. Hon. Speaker on Thursday. 17th October, 2024 in response to a call by the Minority Leader to declare the seats of four (4) Members of Parliament vacant.
Parliament states without any equivocation that there is no iota of truth in the insinuation in the circulated video. The video in question was taken on 4th July 2024, when the Rt.
Hon. Speaker led a delegation to present the maiden democracy cup to the President. The attempt to wrongly label the video and twist facts to impugn the integrity of the Rt. Hon.
Speaker and Parliament is not only disingenuous but unfortunate.
The general public is hereby advised to ignore the attempt to hoodwink them into believing what has never transpired and treat the narrative with the contempt it deserves.
Signed
SURREPAWNREALLYST
KWVARTENG-ASTIA
DEPUTY DIRECTOR, MEDIA RELATIONS
FOR: DIRECTOR
RELATIONS"