Mr Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, Minister for Information

Minister for Information Kojo Oppong Nkrumah and MP for Ofoase/Ayirebi has stated that the occupation of minority National Democratic Congress (NDC) MPs of the majority side of Parliament before the dissolution of the Seventh Parliament of the Fourth Republic was inconsequential.

Mr Oppong Nkrumah told journalists that Parliament was a single polling station and that any MP could sit anywhere of the Chamber of the house, to elect the Speaker of the Eight Parliament.

He explained that the Clerk to Parliament was going to enter the Chamber of Parliament after midnight and call out MPs-elect to elect a Speaker of Parliament.

Mr Oppong Nkrumah said after the MPs-elect had voted and elected a Speaker, and subsequently sworn in by the Chief Justice, the “Speaker of the Eighth Parliament will take full authority of proceedings and demand that the MPs on the Majority side sit on the right side and the Minority MPs also occupy the left side”.

He said the leadership of the NPP Majority side had advised them not to do anything untoward to mar the proceedings of the house but maintain the dignity of Parliament.

Earlier, the NDC Minority MPs occupied the right side of Parliament, which was meant for the Majority NPP side.

That situation led to a scuffle and hot verbal exchanges between the NPP and NDC members of Parliament, but calm was restored later.