On Tuesday, the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, officially inducted into office the recently elected Members of Parliament for Akwatia and Tamale Central, Bernard Bediako Baidoo and Professor Alidu Seidu.
Both lawmakers, who represent the National Democratic Congress (NDC), increase the total number of MPs currently in the House to 276.
At the short swearing-in ceremony, the two parliamentarians subscribed to the Oath of Allegiance and the Oath of a Member of Parliament. Professor Alidu Seidu swore on the Quran, while Bernard Bediako Baidoo chose the Bible.
In his remarks to the chamber, Speaker Bagbin reminded the new MPs of the weight of their duty to serve with honesty and commitment.
“I will hold you to the two oaths you have sworn, particularly the one where you pledged to faithfully and conscientiously discharge the duties of a Member of Parliament,” he stated.
Lightening the mood, the Speaker quipped that to help them carry out their responsibilities effectively, he would “first give you a hoe and a cutlass — the Constitution and the Standing Orders,” encouraging them to study the documents carefully.
“If you want to discharge your duties well, you must sleep with them — no matter your background,” he added, sparking laughter across the chamber.
Bernard Bediako Baidoo secured victory in the Akwatia by-election with 18,199 votes, following the death of the late Ernest Yaw Kumi.
In Tamale Central, Professor Alidu Seidu was declared unopposed in the by-election, which was necessitated by the untimely passing of the late Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed in a helicopter accident on August 6, 2025.
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