Speaker of Parliament Rt. Hon. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin has summoned Parliament to sit on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, at 12 noon at Parliament House in Accra.
In a notice dated September 24, 2026, the Speaker said the summons was issued pursuant to Article 112(3) of the 1992 Constitution and Order 53 of the Standing Orders of Parliament. The notice was signed by the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin.
“Pursuant to Article 112(3) of the Constitution and Order 53 of the Standing Orders of the Parliament, I, Rt. Hon. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, the Speaker of Parliament, hereby summon Parliament to sit on Tuesday, 29th September, 2026 at twelve noon at Parliament House, Accra,” the notice stated.
Recall Follows Minority Petition on Drug Seizures
The recall comes days after the Minority in Parliament petitioned the Speaker to bring the House back from recess to consider what it describes as urgent national security concerns arising from a series of major drug seizures involving consignments linked to Ghana. The petition, dated September 18, 2026, was submitted on behalf of the Minority Caucus by the First Deputy Minority Whip and Member of Parliament for Tolon, Habib Iddrisu.
The petitioners said they had secured the support of at least 15 per cent of Members of Parliament required under Article 112(3) of the 1992 Constitution to request an extraordinary meeting of the House. Article 112(3) permits at least 15 per cent of MPs to request a meeting of Parliament, and the Speaker is required to summon Parliament within seven days after receiving such a request. On September 23, 2026, Ntim Fordjour, a member of the Minority, confirmed that the caucus had secured more than the required 15 per cent support to trigger the recall.
Nearly 3.9 Tonnes of Cocaine Seized in France
At the centre of the petition is the seizure by French customs authorities of nearly 3.9 tonnes of cocaine at the Port of Dunkirk on September 10, 2026. The drugs, valued at more than US1 billion.
These include a 3.3-tonne cocaine haul hidden under sand in a tipper truck at Pedu Junction in Cape Coast, with an estimated street value of more than US6.9 million. Other cases cited include a 320kg methamphetamine seizure by Australian customs in June 2026, concealed in a charcoal shipment traced to Ghana, and an unresolved case involving a flight from Gran Canaria that allegedly carried narcotics and undeclared US currency and landed at Kotoka International Airport in March 2025.
Minority Seeks Parliamentary Inquiry
The MPs want Parliament to establish how the Dunkirk-bound container was processed, inspected, cleared and exported from Ghana, including the port through which it left the country. They are also seeking information on the institutions and companies involved in processing and clearing the shipment, the progress of investigations and arrests, and cooperation between Ghanaian authorities and their international counterparts.
The Minority has called for officials from relevant institutions, including the Narcotics Control Commission, Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, Ghana Revenue Authority and the National Intelligence Bureau, to appear before Parliament. The caucus says the proposed parliamentary scrutiny should also assess the systems used to identify the financiers, organisers and networks behind major narcotics trafficking operations, as well as the adequacy of scanning, surveillance and intelligence systems at Ghana’s ports and other entry and exit points.
Majority Describes Recall Request as “Premature”
The recall has not been without controversy. The Majority in Parliament has described the Minority’s request for an extraordinary recall as premature and of questionable intent. The Deputy Majority Whip, Richard Acheampong, questioned whether Parliament had the capacity to independently investigate the matter and whether an extraordinary sitting would achieve its intended purpose.
There had also been differing views within Parliament over the request, with the Minority arguing that the scale of the drug seizures required urgent parliamentary oversight.
Second Recall in Two Months
This is the second time in less than two months that Speaker Bagbin has recalled Parliament from recess. In August 2026, the Speaker recalled the House for a five-day emergency sitting from August 24 to 28, at the request of President John Dramani Mahama. That session tackled urgent state business including ministerial vetting, a GH¢22 billion Bank of Ghana probe, and the controversial Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, 2025.
During that sitting, Speaker Bagbin also used the occasion to clarify the status of the Majority Leader following President Mahama’s nomination of Mahama Ayariga as a minister. The Speaker ruled that Ayariga remained Majority Leader, stating that the Presidency’s communication announcing changes had been done in error.
About the Speaker
Rt. Hon. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin is a lawyer by profession who represented the Nadowli West constituency for 28 years, from 1993 to 2021. During his time in Parliament, he served as Majority Leader, Minority Leader, and Minister for Health. He was first elected as an MP in 1992 and served seven consecutive terms, becoming a seasoned legislator. He first served as Minority Leader from 2000 to 2009, then became Majority Leader from 2009 to 2010, and again from 2014 to 2017. As MP, he also served as Minister for Water Resources, Works and Housing from 2010 to 2012 and Minister for Health from 2012 to 2013.
He was first elected as Speaker of the Eighth Parliament on January 7, 2021, and retained as Speaker for the Ninth Parliament in January 2025. He is the second person in Ghana’s Fourth Republic to serve two terms as Speaker. In October 2025, he was elected Chairperson of the 52-member Africa Geopolitical Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU). He currently serves as President of the Conference of Speakers and Presidents of African Legislatures (CoSPAL) and is the immediate past Chairperson of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) International.
What to Expect on September 29
While the Speaker’s notice does not state the specific business for the September 29 sitting, the timing is expected to place the cocaine seizures and related security concerns high on Parliament’s agenda. Parliament’s official website currently lists the House as being on recess and records an emergency meeting on its calendar. The September 29 sitting will therefore provide the House with an opportunity to consider the matters brought before it and determine the appropriate parliamentary action.
