Aaron Mike Oquaye

Oquaye was born in Osu, Accra to E. G. N Oquaye of Osu and Felicia Awusika Abla Oquaye (née Azu) of Odumase-Krobo. He was brought up at Asamankese in the Eastern Region, where he attended the Roman Catholic Primary School and Presbyterian Middle School before proceeding to Presbyterian Boys' Secondary (PRESEC), at Odumase-Krobo and then Apam Senior High School.[4]

Oquaye's father, E.G.N. Oquaye, had been a founding member of the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) at Asamankese. He was also treasurer and principal financier of the UGCC, Gold Coast Party (GCP), National Liberation Movement (NLM) and United Party (UP) at Asamankese. When Oquaye was a child, his family received political figures and dignitaries such as Dr. J. B. Danquah and Prof. Kofi Abrefa Busia as guests at their home. While the Okyenhene, Nana Ofori Atta II, was in exile in Accra, he was also a regular visitor to the Oquaye family home in Asamankese.

Oquaye is a Baptist Minister, and is married to Alberta Oquaye (née Asafu-Adjaye), a professional nurse.

He attended the Presbyterian Boys' Senior Secondary School for his GCE "O" Level Certificate and Apam Secondary School for his "A" Level Certificates. He entered the University of Ghana and later the University of London, at Lincoln's Inn, London. He holds B.A. (Hons.) Political Science, L.L.B. (Hons.), B.L. and PhD. He is a qualified solicitor and barrister, as well as the founder and senior partner of his own law firm. He is a barrister of the Supreme Court of England and Wales, a senior member of the Ghana Bar Association, and a solicitor for some leading companies and financial institutions.[5]

He is a professor of Political science at the University of Ghana, (Legon), and was previously the Head of the Department of Political Science and member of the University's Academic Board, the highest authority at the level of the faculties. He received his Ph.D from School of Oriental and African Studies in London, as well as winning the Rockefeller Senior Scholar Award in 1993 and the Senior Fulbright Scholar Award in 1997. He has been a visiting lecturer at George Mason University in Virginia. From 1997 to 1999, he was Vice-President of the African Association of Political Science (AAPS), based in Zimbabwe.

Oquaye is a writer, who has researched and written extensively on good governance, conflicts, political education, decentralization and development, human rights, military intervention in politics, NGOs, rural development and gender issues. He advocates women's rights, including affirmative action. He is the author of the award-winning book Politics in Ghana - 1972-1979, in which he depicts, inter-alia, the military as the bane of Government and Politics in Africa and recounted instances of human right abuses, conflictual politics, economic mismanagement and national decadence. He wrote a second volume, Politics in Ghana - 1982-1992, dealing with the politics of revolution, CDRs, Public Tribunals, popular power, positive defiance and human rights issues of the period. His scholarly write-ups have been published in international journals such as Human Rights Quarterly (US), Journal of Commonwealth and Comparative Politics (UK), African Affairs (UK), and Review of Human Factor Studies (Canada).

As a student at the University of Ghana, Oquaye joined the campaign for the J. B. Danquah/Kofi Abrefa Busia cause. He strongly supported Busia's call for quick return to civilian rule to prevent the militarization of the state and, along with his family, helped to establish the Progress Party in Osu in 1969.

The United Party-Progress Party tradition led to the foundation, in 1992, of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), with Oquaye as a founder member. He was the first Regional Secretary of NPP for Greater Accra in 1992, and also the first Chairman of the Party for the Ga District Rural Constituency, which later split into Ga West District and Ga East District. He was the secretary of the Research Committee and a member of the first National Campaign Team of the NPP in the third quarter of 1992.

He worked with other central NPP figures, including President John Kufuor, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, R. R. Amponsah, Prof. Adu-Boahen, Peter Ala Adjetey, B. J. da Rocha and Samuel Odoi-Sykes to campaign successfully for the NPP victory in the 2000 general elections. His role in the party's success, which involved journalistic contributions and involvement in other activities of the party between 1993 and 2000, is considered significant.[6][7]

From 2001 to 2004, Oquaye served as Ghana's High Commissioner to India. His tenure as Ghana High Commissioner to India recorded achievement which includes Ghana Presidential Palace and Office Complex.[8] In February 2005 he became Minister of Energy, and later he was moved to the post of Minister of Communications.[9]

Oquaye was the NPP Member of Parliament for Dome-Kwabenya for two terms, from 2004 to 2012.[4] He decided not to stand for another term. He sponsored his son, Mike Oquaye Jnr. to fight to be the NPP Parliamentary Candidate for the constituency. His son however lost to Sarah Adwoa Safo, who went on to win the seat.

From 2009 to 2013, Mike Oquaye was the Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament. He was succeeded by Joe Ghartey in 2013.[9]

Professor Aaron Mike Oquaye served as the Speaker of Parliament in the seventh parliament of the Fourth Republic.[10] In 2021, he was nominate by the New Patriotic Party for the role as a Speaker of Parliament in which he lost to Alban Kingsford Sumani Bagbin on January 7 who was nominated by the National Democratic Congress.[11] Alban Kingsford Sumani Bagbin announced at the first sitting of parliament that he was elected by 138 votes while Mike Oquaye garnered 136 votes.[12]

Professor Oquaye is a pastor of the Baptist Church. He is husband of Mrs. Alberta Oquaye (née Asafu-Adjaye) (Major Rtd.), and the father of Mike Oquaye Jnr, Ghana's current High Commissioner to India.

His hobbies include watching football, playing table tennis, reading books, writing, and listening to music.[5]

In February 2020, there were media agitation to reports that the speaker of Parliament, Aaron Mike Oquaye has threatened to ban journalist who take coverage of other events in the premises of Parliament other than the chamber.[13][14][15]

In August 2020, he gave a public lecture in the observance of the Founders Day where he claimed “Independence was not a one man show, it was a collective effort.” According to him, former president Nkrumah alone should not be honored alone but all the founding fathers of Ghana. He also claimed Nkrumah was not alone in the struggle for independence although he fought for Ghana's independence. Sekou Nkrumah, the son of Nkrumah lambasted Prof. Oquaye for those comments. According to Sekou, if the speaker of parliament wants to criticize his late father, he should talk about the one party system and the PDA during Nkrumah's time.[16]

14.''Alban Bagbin'' is the speaker of the 8th parliament of the republic of Ghana.

• Official biography from the Republic of Ghana website

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