Speaker Bagbin turns down Minority's drug seizures inquiry motion; Iddrisu contests ruling

Pinned summary · as of 05:19

Speaker Alban Bagbin declined to admit a Minority motion for a parliamentary probe of narcotics seizures tied to Ghana, at the sitting he had called for Tuesday, 29 September. He pointed to investigations and court cases already under way. Habib Iddrisu, the MP for Tolon who filed the motion, has since disputed that reasoning in interviews.

What we know

• Mr Iddrisu, the First Deputy Minority Whip, lodged a private members' motion with the Clerk to Parliament on 28 September under Standing Order 102, backed by eight other NPP MPs.
• Sponsors want an Ad Hoc Committee to conduct a cross-party, transparent probe, citing Article 103 of the Constitution and Standing Order 262.
• Among the cases the motion wants examined is a Dunkirk cocaine haul of close to 3.9 tonnes, taken by French Customs on 10 September. It also listed a 320kg methamphetamine haul in Australia in June 2026 and cocaine interceptions in Ghana during 2025.
• The proposed committee would look at how the consignments were handled, screened and cleared before leaving Ghana, how well ports and airports are guarded, and how far Ghanaian agencies share intelligence with foreign counterparts, according to the sponsors.
• Mr Bagbin ruled the motion out. Citing the overlap with continuing investigations and court proceedings, he said going ahead could harm the interests of parties before the judges.
• Mr Iddrisu said he was surprised by the outcome because, in his words, the motion repeated the memorandum that had led to the recall of Parliament. He accepted that the Standing Orders leave admission of motions to the Speaker.
• Mr Iddrisu rejected the view that an inquiry would prejudice cases in court, and argued that Article 103 gives parliamentary committees authority to look into how ministries and departments are run, an authority the Standing Orders cannot displace.

What's disputed / unconfirmed

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  Two different values exist for the Dunkirk cargo: the motion gives roughly US$261 million, and an estimate from France is €225 million. The two figures have not been reconciled.
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  Reports differ on the rule the Speaker relied on. MyJoyOnline names Standing Order 101(3)(f), on motions touching cases pending before a court, while The Vaultz News gives it as 103(f).
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  To show Parliament can act while related matters are in court, Mr Iddrisu pointed to the Kpandai dispute involving Martin Nyidam, per MyJoyOnline, but to the Assin North case, per The Vaultz News. Neither example has been confirmed by other reports.
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  The Vaultz News reported Mr Iddrisu as saying that investigations started by the Executive would leave the investigators assessing their own conduct, and that arrests of officials show several agencies are involved. Only one report carries this, and the Executive has not responded in the material available.
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  The Vaultz News also reported his view that scrutiny across the Interior, Transport and Finance portfolios and Customs needs an ad hoc committee rather than a sector minister's briefing. This is his argument, not an established finding.

Why it matters for Ghana

Ghana's ports at Tema and Takoradi and the airport at Accra carry the country's trade, and repeated links to drug consignments can damage confidence in customs clearance. With the Speaker's ruling in place, the Minority's questions on scanning, surveillance and intelligence have no parliamentary forum for now. Answers will depend on the state security agencies and the courts already handling the cases.