Mahama’s announcement of James Agalga as new Majority Leader was an error, he has no authority — Speaker 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 was not in line with Parliament's prescribed procedure.

According to Speaker Bagbin, the President does not have the authority to formally notify the Speaker of a change in the leadership of a parliamentary caucus.

He explained that Parliament's Standing Orders require any change in the leadership of the Majority or Minority Caucus to be communicated to the Speaker by the General Secretary of the political party concerned.

The Speaker made the clarification when Parliament reconvened on Monday, August 24, 2026, noting that the required procedure must be completed before Mr Agalga can formally assume the position and receive the recognition and courtesies attached to the office.

He said the Standing Orders define the Majority Leader as a Member of Parliament designated by the Majority Caucus to serve as its leader in the House.

Speaker Bagbin's comments followed President Mahama's announcement that Mr Agalga would replace Mahama Ayariga as Majority Leader, following Mr Ayariga's nomination to serve in a government position.

“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 matter had arisen several times in the past, prompting Parliament to clearly define the roles of Majority and Minority Leaders in its current Standing Orders.

“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.

He stressed that Mr Agalga could only formally assume the position after the appropriate communication had been received from the party and the Majority Caucus had taken the necessary decision.

“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.