Know your limits – MP warns Akuffo Dampare
Member of Parliament for the Builsa North Constituency James Agalga has waded into the conversation regarding the tussle between his colleague MP Francis-Xavier Sosu and the Ghana Police Service.
Mr Agalga who is a Ranking Member of the Defense and Interior Committee of Parliament has advised the Inspector General of Police Dr George Akuffo Dampare to know his limits in the discharge of his duties.
The lawmaker’s advice to the IGP stems from the ongoing tussle between Madina Member of Parliament Francis-Xavier Sosu and the Police over his[Francis-Xavier Sosu] role at the recent protest over bad roads held by the constituents of the Madina Constituency.
The Police per their assessment saw infractions with the law during the protest and have since extended an invitation to the lawmaker for questioning but the Member of Parliament is yet to honour the invitation.
Mr Sosu, on the other hand, complained that some Police officers tried to arrest him during the protest and also while at church on Sunday, October 31, but on the second attempted arrest the Police said it was rather for intelligence gathering.
Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin subsequently refused a request from the Police to release Mr Sosu citing Article 117 of the constitution which says that “civil or criminal processes coming from any court or place out of Parliament shall not be served on, or executed in relations to, the Speaker or a member of the Clerk to Parliament while he is on his way to, attending at or returning from, any proceedings of parliament”.
The Police have also indicated their resolve to head to court to compel Mr Sosu to report for questioning.
His colleague James Agalga in response to the issue also called on the Police not to be overzealous saying “This is his first gaffe. He is being overzealous. The IGP needs to understand that the democratic dispensation does not allow the Police to also act above the law, just as we are being told that MPs are not above the law. He should remember that the service owes its existence to the 1992 constitution.”
“He needs to be mindful about the clear provisions of Article 122 and 117. It is not for nothing that the framers of the constitution made room for these provisions. If it is the collective view of Ghanaians that these provisions have outlived their usefulness, then let’s take them out of the constitution. But until then, I expect everyone, including the President, to respect this provision. Even if they intend seeking for interpretation of the provision, that has not been done yet, and so the police should just stick with the Speaker’s position and stop the back and forth.”
By: Stella Annan | myactiveonline.com Twitter @activetvgh
