Speaker refers absentee MPs to the privileges committee

The Speaker of Parliament, Rt Honourable Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin has referred the seats of absentees Members of Parliament to the privileges committee of Parliament.

Three MPs from the ruling New Patriotic Party(NPP), that is,  Henry Quartey, Adwoa Safo, and Ken Agyapong have been referred to the privileges committee of Parliament after which a report would be presented to parliament.

As per Article 97(1c) which says a member of Parliament shall vacate a seat in parliament for being absent from parliament for more than 15 days.
But there was a mixed reaction from both the majority and Minority sides in parliament.

Submitting, the MP for Asawase in the Ashanti Region, Honorable. Mohammed Muntaka disagrees with the Speaker's decision.
According to him, a member of Parliament was rather supposed to have raised the issue and not the Speaker.

The Tamale Central MP, Alhassan Suhuyini also argued that the privileges committee does not have a sole mandate to decide the status of an MP.

The Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu also indicated his intentions to challenge the decision of the Speaker.
The Minority Leader has difficulty accepting the decision of the Speaker.

But the Majority Leader, Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu, and MP for Suame said the decision to refer a member of the house to the privileges committee lies with Parliament but not the Speaker's sole prerogative.