Speaker warns police: "Don't arrest MPs without informing me"

The Speaker of Parliament, Professor Mike Oquaye, has urged the Police administration to follow the laid down procedure of inviting Members of Parliament (MP) to assist in police investigations.

He has, therefore, asked the police to inform him and the leadership of Parliament in matters of police investigations involving MPs.

His comment follows reports that the police raided the homes of the MP for Asutifi South, Alhaji Collins Dauda in Accra and in his constituency in connection with alleged registration of minors in the on-going limited voter registration exercise being conducted by the Electoral Commission in the proposed new regions.

Speaking on the floor of Parliament Tuesday, Prof Oquaye condemned the manner with which the police disregard the privileges enjoyed by parliamentarians.

He said: “We want the security agencies to be mindful of the fact that the police should not invade the premises of a Member of Parliament or appear to be doing so in a manner that will raise unnecessary difficulties for us.”

He said MPS are not to be “taken by surprise or not to be treated in a manner that will not be consistent with the dignity that an honourable Member of Parliament should be attended to.”

“We want to put on record that in future, the leadership of the House and the Speaker of the House should be informed of all such needs so that it can be done with the appropriate decency,” he added.

“When any invitation is required, we would like it to be routed properly and the appropriate honorable member will attend to the appropriate invitation at the highest quarters, preferably the Commissioner of Police CID in charge of investigations because monkeys play by sizes. If you want an honorable member of parliament, that will be my barest minimum” he noted.

Police invitation

Meanwhile, the Brong Ahafo Regional Police Command has directed Alhaji Collins Dauda to report himself to the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr David Asante Apeatu in connection with an alleged registration of minors in the on-going limited voter registration exercise being conducted by the Electoral Commission in the proposed new regions.
The Brong-Ahafo Regional Police Public Relations Officer, Chief Inspector Augustine Kingsley Oppong said even though the MP was invited early Tuesday morning to report to the command, Alhaji Dauda stated that he would not be able to do so since he was on his way to Accra to attend to the recall of Parliament by the Speaker of the House.

Explaining the reason for the invitation of the MP, who was a former Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, the police officer stated that on September 22, 2018, the police received reports about disturbances at Kukuom in the Asunafo South District in connection with the ongoing limited voter registration exercise.

Chief Inspector Oppong stated that investigations conducted by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the police pointed to an alleged involvement of Alhaji Dauda in the registration of minors in the exercise in the area.