Speaker of Parliament Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin has ruled that President John Dramani Mahama’s announcement of Builsa North MP James Agalga as the new Majority Leader did not follow the procedure required by Parliament. Mr Bagbin said the President had no authority to formally communicate a change in the leadership of the Majority Caucus to the Speaker, stressing that the prescribed parliamentary process must be completed before Mr Agalga can be officially recognised.
The Speaker made the ruling on Monday, August 24, 2026 when Parliament reconvened, in response to a communication from the Presidency announcing Mr Agalga’s appointment to replace Mahama Ayariga as the majority leader. According to Mr Bagbin, Parliament’s Standing Orders require a change in the leadership of either the Majority or Minority Caucus to be communicated to the Speaker by the General Secretary of the political party concerned. He said the Majority Leader is defined under the Standing Orders as a Member of Parliament designated by the Majority Caucus to serve as its leader in the House.
“The communication says acting because the President has no authority to communicate the change of the leadership of the House to the Speaker. And so it was actually done in error,” Mr Bagbin said. He explained that the procedure was deliberately set out in the Standing Orders to ensure that changes in parliamentary leadership originate from the appropriate political party and caucus rather than from the Executive. “Clearly, our Standing Orders say Majority Leader means a Member of Parliament designated by the Majority Caucus as their leader in the House. And as you know, the practice is that the party, under the hand of the General Secretary, communicates that decision of the party to the Speaker,” he said.
Mr Bagbin therefore indicated that Mr Agalga cannot formally assume the position until the governing party communicates the change through the appropriate channel and the decision of the Majority Caucus is duly conveyed to the House. He said this explains why Mr Ayariga continues to occupy the position of Majority Leader in Parliament despite the President’s announcement. “That is why you still see that the Majority Leader is still in his seat, because he’s still the Majority Leader, until otherwise communicated by the party and then decided by the caucus and the information passed on,” he added.
The development creates a procedural hurdle for Mr Agalga’s formal recognition as Majority Leader, despite the President’s public announcement. The change follows expectations that Mr Ayariga will take up a new role in government, paving the way for a new leader of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary caucus. Until the required communication is made and the Majority Caucus formally designates its leader in accordance with Parliament’s Standing Orders, Mr Ayariga remains the recognised Majority Leader of the House.
By: Joyce Owusu
