Supreme Court Rejects Speaker Bagbin’s Application To Reverse Ruling On Vacant Parliament Seats

• The Supreme Court has dismissed an application by the Speaker of Parliament to reverse the ruling that blocked his vacation of four seats in Parliament
• Speaker Alban Bagbin's lawyer argued that the court had overreached by suspending his ruling
• The four parliamentary seats affected were the Amenfi Central seat, the Agona West seat, the Fomena seat, and the Suhum seat

The Supreme Court has dismissed an application by the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, to reverse the ruling that blocked his declaration of four parliamentary seats as vacant.

The Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, had filed for a stay of execution to defend his side's majority status, which the speaker’s declaration had threatened by removing three of his MPs contesting the election on different tickets in 2024.

The ruling gave the National Democratic Congress side 136 MPs in the house, whereas the New Patriotic Party had 135 MPs.

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The four parliamentary seats affected were the Amenfi Central seat, the Agona West seat, the Fomena seat, and the Suhum seat.

Citi News reported that Bagbin's lawyer argued that the court had overreached by suspending his ruling, hence the challenge.

He also argued that the decision to reverse Bagbin's ruling was outside the judiciary's jurisdiction.

Bagbin's lawyer's motion argued that, as the speaker’s actions were non-judicial, they should not be subject to stays of execution, a mechanism typically applied to court rulings.

Bagbin adjourns Parliament indefinitely

Amid the impasse over the vacancy of seats, Bagbin adjourned parliamentary proceedings indefinitely.

He said the adjournment followed consultation with the house's leadership as per Parliament’s Standing Order 59.

PBeforeadjourning the house, he noted that on Monday, October 22, 2024, he had received the Supreme Court’s stay of execution, which was issued against his vacation of four parliamentary seats.

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Kwaku Azar worried about speaker's declaration

YEN.com.gh reported that Professor Stephen Kwaku Asare said the declaration sets a dangerous precedent in Ghana’s parliament and could be used to stifle parliamentarians as they plan their political futures.

He argued that Alban Bagbin had misapplied the provision of Article 97(1)(g) of the 1992 constitution and misinterpreted what the law was intended to achieve, disagreeing with the Speaker's rationale about that decision.

Source: YEN.com.gh