Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, has broken his silence on one of the most contentious rumours in Ghana’s recent parliamentary history — the claim that former Dome-Kwabenya MP, Sarah Adwoa Safo, voted for him during the dramatic election that made him Speaker of the 8th Parliament.
Speaking when the family of Apostle Kwadwo Safo paid a courtesy call on him on Monday, October 13, Mr. Bagbin described the allegation as entirely false and unfair to the former legislator.
He said his close, fatherly relationship with Adwoa Safo — which dates back to her early days in Parliament — may have been misinterpreted as political collusion.
“I call her my daughter because when I came to Parliament, she was a small girl. So, I began calling her my daughter before she joined politics and entered Parliament. But we belong to different political traditions,” he clarified.
Mr. Bagbin added that the warmth and mutual respect between them had wrongly fueled suspicion at the time of the Speaker’s election in January 2021, when one NPP MP was believed to have crossed the aisle to vote for him.
“Because she is my daughter and we love each other, when I was contesting to be Speaker, they thought she voted for me,” he explained.
The Speaker’s remarks effectively clear Adwoa Safo of allegations that caused deep internal friction within the New Patriotic Party after the fiercely contested vote.
Political observers say Mr. Bagbin’s public clarification may finally put to rest years of speculation that had strained relations within the NPP and cast a shadow over one of Ghana’s most dramatic parliamentary transitions.
