Mahama’s announcement of Agalga as Majority Leader was procedurally wrong – Bagbin

Speaker of Parliament Alban 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.

According to the Speaker, the President does not have the authority to formally notify him of a change in the leadership of either the Majority or Minority Caucus.

Speaking when Parliament reconvened on Monday, August 24, 2026, Speaker Bagbin said such changes must be communicated to the Speaker by the General Secretary of the political party concerned.

He explained that Parliament’s Standing Orders define the Majority Leader as the Member of Parliament designated by the Majority Caucus to lead the group 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,” he said.

Speaker Bagbin said the issue had previously arisen in Parliament, prompting the Standing Orders to clearly define the positions of Majority Leader and Minority Leader.

“And 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 explained.

The clarification follows President Mahama’s announcement of Mr Agalga as the new Majority Leader to replace Mahama Ayariga, who is expected to take up a new role in government.

However, Speaker Bagbin said Mr Agalga cannot formally assume the position until the appropriate procedure has been completed.

He said the party must first communicate the change to the Speaker, after which the Majority Caucus must formally designate its leader and the decision conveyed to the House.

“So the procedure today may look different. 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 Speaker’s ruling means that, until the required communication and caucus decision are formally completed, Mahama Ayariga remains recognised as the Majority Leader of Parliament.