Hot!
Parliament will not approve your ministers- Speaker Bagbin to President Akufo-Addo
The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin has told the President that Parliament will not be able to approve his ministers due to a pending matter against them in court.
This follows the Office of the President’s request to Parliament to refrain from transmitting Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values also known as the Anti-LGBTQ+ Bill to President Akufo-Addo for his assent.
In a letter signed by the Executive Secretary to the President, Nana Asante Bediatuo to Parliament on Monday, March 18, a request was made in light of two pending applications for an order of interlocutory injunction currently before the Supreme Court.
However, the Speaker of Parliament views the letter as contemptuous of Parliament.
Against this backdrop, the Speaker yesterday replied the letter by saying, “Hon. Members in the light of this process, the House is unable to continue to consider the
nominations of His Excellency the President in the “spirit of upholding the rule of law until after the determination of the application for interlocutory injunction by the Supreme Court.”
He went further to say, “The contents of the letter, albeit not formally presented to us, have come to our attention,
compelling us to confront the issues it raises. It is a matter of great concern that the executive branch has chosen to disregard the established constitutional structures that facilitate constructive dialogue and collaboration between the branches of government.”
He added that “according to our 1992 Constitution, the President has no VETO.”
The Speaker noted that, when important legislative work, the product of rigorous debate and consensus-building within this House, is disregarded without just
cause, it not only disrespects the legislative branch but also disenfranchises the citizens
we are sworn to serve.
“This blatant disregard for legislative processes and constitutional mandates risks setting a perilous precedent
that could weaken the very fabric of our
governance structure,” he added.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
Hot!
Prof Alidu Seidu files nomination for Tamale Central seat
The newly elected parliamentary candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for Tamale Central, Prof Alidu Seidu, has submitted his nomination forms to the Electoral Commission.
As of 10:00 a.m. today, he was the only person who had filed to contest the seat.
Nomination of candidates will close at the end of the day.
Associate Professor and Head of the Political Science Department at the University of Ghana Legon, Prof. Alidu Seidu won the National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary primaries in the Tamale Central constituency with a landslide victory.
The elections, supervised by the party’s Elections and IT Directorate in the Northern Region, saw Prof. Seidu poll 840 votes out of the total valid ballots cast.
His closest contender, Lawyer Hanan Gundadow Abdul-Rahaman, secured 536 votes.
The other aspirants could not make significant gains, with Dr. Seidu Fiter obtaining 44 votes, Aliu Abdul-Hamid 23 votes, and the rest recording fewer than 10 votes each.
In all, 1,500 ballots were cast, with 6 ballots rejected and 7 spoilt ballots recorded.
The results were signed and declared by Dr. Arnold Mashud Abukari, NDC Northern Regional Director of Elections and IT.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) held parliamentary primaries in Tamale Central to choose a candidate for the upcoming by-election following the death of the sitting Member of Parliament, Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed. Dr. Mohammed, who also served as Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, tragically died in a military helicopter crash in the Adansi Akrofuom District on August 6, 2025, alongside seven others.
His passing left the Tamale Central seat vacant, as required by Ghana’s 1992 Constitution.
The Electoral Commission has scheduled the by-election for September 30, 2025. While the NDC moved quickly to open nominations and vet aspirants, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) announced it would not contest the seat, citing the need to respect the somber circumstances and promote national unity.
By: Jacob Aggrey
Hot!
Ghana to locally refine its gold starting October 2025 – Sammy Gyamfi
The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Gold Board, Sammy Gyamfi, has announced that plans are far advanced for the establishment of a state-owned gold refinery in the country.
Speaking at the 2025 Minerals and Mining Convention, Mr Gyamfi said the refinery will process locally mined gold into bullion instead of exporting it in its raw state.
According to him, it is unacceptable that Ghana, despite being a leading gold producer in Africa, continues to export raw gold known as dore.
He explained that the Gold Board, working with the Bank of Ghana and local refineries, will from October 2025 begin refining gold locally.
He also disclosed that an ultramodern assay laboratory will be built to ensure international standards in testing gold quality.
Mr Gyamfi noted that the refinery will be wholly state-owned and will help Ghana move away from raw mineral exports to value addition.
This, he said, will boost foreign exchange earnings, create jobs, and position Ghana as a hub for gold refining and jewellery production in Africa.
The CEO stressed that the project forms part of government’s strategy to ensure the country benefits fully from its natural resources and to transform the mining sector into a driver of economic growth.
By: Jacob Aggrey
