Any time there have been constitutional addresses by any sitting president of Ghana, there has also been the usual theatrics, usually from the Minority side of the House, and this 8th State of the National Address (SONA) by President Akufo-Addo did not miss any of that.
While the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, went through his list of dignitaries present in the House, the usual cheers and jeers from the Members of Parliament filled the atmosphere.
But things took a completely different turn when Speaker Bagbin introduced the former president and current Flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama.
In what may have seemed like a planned, prolonged moment of chanting and praise-singing, the MPs on the Minority side rose from their seats and, at the top of their voices, sang melodies to their ‘leader,’ John Mahama.
And on and on, the MPs sang and chanted, much to the dismay of many and against the intermittent attempts by the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, to calm them down and get them back in their seats.
Without any success from the Speaker, as was seen in the visuals, as well as attempts by John Mahama himself to get the NDC MPs to back down, Alban Bagbin was forced to rise on his feet.
And that was enough to get the Minority MPs to back down.
Still on his feet, the Speaker made the following cautionary statements:
“When the Speaker is on his feet, everybody else is seated and quiet. That is parliament. Please, this is a formal sitting of parliament and all the rules apply. I will not be tempted and I resist it to start applying some of the rules. This is an election year, and my words can deselect some of you. Kindly take note, and let’s proceed.”
The address by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is constitutional, which is in line with Article 67 of the 1992 constitution of Ghana.
