Ghana returned into constitutional rule on January 7, 1993, after a military regime between January 1972 and October 1979 and it has since remained a republican state.

After 11 years of military administration, a new constitution was approved through a referendum in 1992.

Presidential elections were held in November of 1992 and the founder of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Jerry John Rawlings, won the presidential elections while the party also attained 189 out of 200 seats in parliament.

Presidential and parliamentary elections in Ghana are held alongside each other, generally on 7 December every four years.

Some Members of Parliament have been glued to their seat since 1992 to date while others who joined later have also remained in parliament making them the longest-serving lawmakers.

GhanaWeb has compiled a list of some of the longest-serving members of parliament in the 7th Parliament.

Alban S K Bagbin, is one of the oldest members of parliament in the Fourth Republic.

The National Democratic Congress’ (NDC) member for Nadowli/Kaleo in the Upper West Region was first voted to represent his constituency, then known as Nadowli North, in the First Parliament of the Fourth Republic during the 1992 election.

Since 1992, the MP is also known as Nadowli/Kaleo ‘’Mugabe’’ has been returned to parliament by massive votes even though he had to face other contestants both from within his own party and other opponents.

Alban Bagbin rose through the ranks of the NDC as a result of hard work to the position of Minority Leader when the NDC lost the election to the NPP in 2000. In 2012, when the NDC was voted back to power under President John Evans Atta Mills, he was named as the Majority Leader.
He has served in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th parliament and is currently Second Deputy Speaker.

Collins Dauda

Collins Dauda is also one of the longest-serving MPs in Ghana.
He has served in the 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th parliament of the republic.

Collins Dauda became a member of the Asutifi District Assembly between 1978 and 1981.

He was a member of the Consultative Assembly that drew up the 1992 Ghana constitution between 1991 and 1992.

He was first elected to parliament in the 1992 parliamentary election on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress making him the first MP for the Asutifi South in the Fourth Republic.

He won a second term in the 1996 parliamentary election. He however lost his seat in 2000 parliamentary election.

The lawmaker made a return in 2004 and regained the seat in parliament. In 2002 and 2004 when he was out of parliament, he was the Regional Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Brong Ahafo Region. In February 2009, Collins Dauda was appointed Minister for Lands and Mineral Resources and reshuffled to the Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing.

Osei Kyei-Mensah Bonsu

Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, entered the House as a member for Old Tafo Suame on the ticket of the NPP in 1996 but currently represents Suame Constituency after the constituency was split.

The current Majority Leader is one of the experienced MP with a lot of knowledge in the operations of parliament.

Kobina Tahir Hammond

K. T. Hammond as he is popularly known is also one of the longest-serving MP in Ghana’s parliament. He has served in the 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th parliament.

He joined parliament in 2001 for Adansi-Asokwa Constituency in the Ashanti Region and since retained his seat.

His hard work and knowledge in the Oil and Gas industry makes him one of the best MPs in the field.

He serves under the Finance and Mines and Energy Committee.

Kennedy Agyapong

Kennedy Ohene Agyapong a member of the NPP also joined the House as the member for Assin South, then designated as Assin Central.

He joined parliament in 2001 and has since served in the 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th parliament.

He is currently the chairman of Local Government and Rural Development Committee and a member of the House Committee.

Haruna Iddrisu

Haruna Iddrissu has served in the 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th parliament of Ghana.
He joined parliament after he stood for parliamentary elections in 2004 in the then newly formed Tamale South constituency and won the seat. He retained his seat in the 2008 parliamentary election.

He has held various positions in government, including Minister for Communications under the Mills and Mahama governments as well as Minister for Trade between 2013 and 2014.

His service and dedication to the NDC and the country at large is the reason he is currently serving as the Minority Leader of parliament in the 7th parliament.

Since he joined parliament in 2005, he has since contested his seat unopposed as records shows the same occurrence in 2004, 2008, 2012, and 2020.

James Klutse Avedzi

James Klutse Avedzi has been a Member of the 4th, 5th, 6th 7th Parliaments.

The politician joined Ghana’s parliament in 2004 representing the Ketu North Constituency in the Volta Region on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress.

James Klutse Avedzi is currently the Deputy Minority Leader in Parliament and the chairman of the Public Account Committee.

Joseph Yieleh Chireh

Veteran Joseph Yieleh Chireh has served in 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th parliament.
He joined in 2005 and has since served to date.

He would however not be returning to 8th parliament after losing his seat to David Asante-Apeatu’s Executive Secretary, Peter Lanchene Toobu, who resigned from the Ghana Police Service (GPS) to join politics.

Inusah Abdulai Bistav Fuseini

Inusah Abdulai Bistav Fuseini has served in the 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th parliament.

The MP for Tamale Central Constituency in the Northern Region is the ranking Member for the Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee.

He was elected to parliament following a by-election in 2006 after the incumbent, Wayo Seini who had occupied the seat for only two years since its creation, resigned and defected from the NDC to the New Patriotic Party.

Since then he has become one of the well-positioned and critical Members of Parliament and also a cherished figure in the NDC.

However, the longest-serving MP won’t be in 8th parliament after his surprise announcement that he won’t be seeking re-election before the Party’s primaries in 2019.

Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka

Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka has served in the 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th parliament.
He first entered the Parliament of Ghana on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress in 2005 when he won a by-election in the Asawase constituency with a majority of 11,142 replacing the late Dr Gibrine also of the NDC who had won the seat in December 2004 with a majority of 4,474.

The MP for Asawase Constituency in the Ashanti Region has served for 16 years and has risen through the ranks in parliament.

Muntaka serves as the Chief Majority Whip in parliament under the John Mahama-led NDC Government but currently serves as the Minority Chief Whip after the NDC lost the elections in 2016.

Joe Nana Kobina Akwa Ghartey

Ghartey is currently the NPP Member of Parliament for Essikado/Ketan Constituency in the Western Region of the Republic of Ghana. He was first elected to the seat in the December 2004 elections and was re-elected in both the December 2008 and December 2012 elections.

In all the three elections he was not contested in the primaries of the NPP to choose the parliamentary candidate for the Constituency.

He serves for the Subsidiary Legislation Committee and Trade, Industry and Tourism Committee.

Anthony Akoto Osei

Anthony Akoso Osei is the MP for Old Tafo Constituency, Ashanti Region.

He joined parliament in 2005 and has since served in the 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th.

He is currently the Minister for Monitoring and Evaluation and also a member of the Finance Committee, Defence and Interior Committee in parliament.

By: Nimatu Yakubu Atouyese