The Majority Leader and Leader of Government Business in Parliament, Mahama Ayariga, has stated that he has put on hold the process to scrap the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) out of respect for the intervention of President John Dramani Mahama.
That, he said, was because he believed the President’s advice was grounded in “wisdom” and as such, was worth considering in the interest of the nation.
“Mr, Speaker, we all know that two heads are better than one. So if His Excellency the President has also thought about it, and I also add mine to his, I believe together we can find a better way of managing the situation.
"So I can assure you that I'll take on board the request by the President for us to think about our action, and I can assure you that I have always had confidence in the wisdom of the President,” Mahama Ayariga, who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) for Bawku Central said on Friday (Dec 12, 2025).
He was speaking on the floor of the House in response to concerns raised by Minority MP for Tolon Constituency, Habib Iddrisu during the presentation of the Business Statement.
Due process
Mr Ayariga clarified the sequence of events that led to his submission of a Private Member’s Bill seeking to repeal the law establishing the OSP.
He explained that the proposal was not an arbitrary move, but one rooted in previous parliamentary debates in which members on both sides of the House questioned whether the institution, in its current form, remained effective or aligned with broader anti-corruption strategies.
The Majority Leader further stated that the Speaker had previously indicated that Parliament had clear procedural avenues for dealing with any institution whose existence it wished to reconsider.
Acting on that guidance, he co-signed and submitted the repeal proposal with the MP for South Dayi & Majority Chief Whip, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor.
The Speaker subsequently referred the bill to the Committee on Private Members’ Bills, which reviewed the proposal and granted approval for it to be laid before the House.
Mr Ayariga confirmed that the committee had already sat on the matter, and that the process was formally underway until a public statement by President Mahama urged him to reflect on the timing and implications of the repeal.
Counsel
He stressed that the President’s call was not delivered as a directive but as counsel befitting a collaborative approach to governance.
He told the House that, in light of this, he would pause the process and reassess the broader implications of the bill, taking into account the
President’s request and the input of the Majority leadership.
The Majority Leader emphasised that the decision to reconsider the repeal was not an abandonment of concerns raised about the OSP, but rather a commitment to ensuring that any legislative action was thoughtful, consultative, and beneficial to the country’s anti-corruption architecture.
Mr Ayariga assured the House that the next steps would reflect both institutional wisdom and the collective interest of Parliament and the Executive.
“Indeed if I didn't believe in his wisdom I wouldn't have voted him to be a President and so on the basis of the request made to me by His Excellency and my colleague the majority chief whip I want to assure you that we will reconsider our decision,” Mr Ayariga stated.
