Director of Communications for the United Party, Solomon Owusu, has called for the removal of Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin following the controversy surrounding the passage of the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, popularly known as the anti-LGBTQ+ bill.
Speaking on Joy News on June 4, 2026, Owusu argued that the Speaker had failed in his responsibilities and should be removed under Article 95(d) of the 1992 Constitution.
“The Speaker of Parliament has done a great deal of disservice to the people of this country and he must be called out. I have said that he must be removed under Article 95(d) because he has disgraced his supporters and all those who took part in the passing of that bill,” he stated.
Owusu also criticised Bagbin’s handling of the issue, accusing him of taking inconsistent positions on the bill.
“He blows hot and cold,” he remarked.
According to him, Parliament’s authority to pass legislation does not depend on the physical presence of the Speaker in the chair during proceedings.
“First of all, the Speaker of Parliament was not voted for by anybody. We gave our power to the Members of Parliament and the Members of Parliament have done a great job,” he said.
He added that another presiding officer had been in charge of proceedings when the bill was passed and possessed the same powers as the Speaker.
“There was a Speaker sitting. Don’t let us create the impression that because Bagbin was not the one in the chair, there wasn’t any Speaker. He also had the same power as Speaker Bagbin,” Owusu noted.
The United Party communicator further cited previous legislative processes, including the passage of the Electronic Levy (E-Levy), to argue that a bill remains valid even when one side of Parliament does not participate in its passage.
His comments follow recent remarks by Speaker Bagbin, who said he was surprised by the speed with which Parliament passed the bill.
Addressing a media engagement in Accra on June 1, 2026, Bagbin explained that he had expected lawmakers to begin consideration of the bill rather than complete and pass it on the same day.
“In fact, when it was passed on Friday, it was even a surprise to me, because I knew that they were going to start the consideration of the bill,” he said.
The Speaker subsequently announced plans to engage leaders of both sides of Parliament to discuss the next steps following the bill’s passage, stressing the need for consensus on its implementation.
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