Bagbin Says Mps-Elect Whose Results Were Quashed By Supreme Court Weren’t Qualified To Be Sworn In

• The Supreme Court nullified re-collated election results for four constituencies, ruling them irregular and void
• Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin emphasized that candidates in these constituencies cannot be sworn in as MPs, as the process violated electoral laws
• He reiterated that proper legal procedures must be followed to uphold the integrity of Ghana’s democracy

Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin has clarified that parliamentary candidates whose results were nullified by the Supreme Court on Friday, December 27, 2024, are ineligible to be sworn in as Members of Parliament.

The Supreme Court voided the re-collated results for the Okaikwei Central, Ablekuma North, Tema Central, and Techiman South constituencies, citing irregularities during the re-collation process.

This ruling stems from a legal challenge initiated by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) against a High Court decision on December 20, 2024.

The High Court had directed the Electoral Commission (EC) to re-collate parliamentary election results in nine disputed constituencies. The NDC contested this directive, arguing that the re-collation process was unlawful and lacked merit.

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Bagbin explains position on Supreme Court ruling

Addressing Parliament in Accra on Saturday, Speaker Bagbin emphasized that the Supreme Court’s decision aligned with his earlier stance on the issue.

“The decision of the Supreme Court just followed the position I took before they even delivered their decision,” he said.

He indicated that a candidate’s journey to becoming a Member of Parliament involves three crucial steps: election by the voters, declaration by the Electoral Commission, and swearing-in by the Speaker of Parliament.

“Until you are sworn in by the Speaker, you remain an MP-elect. I was very clear in my mind that some of those re-collation and re-declarations were completely null and void. They were unknown to the law, and so they were not properly so-called MPs-elect and not qualified to be sworn in by me," Bagbin explained.

He noted that he had previously discussed these concerns with his staff, affirming his role as the “gatekeeper” to ensure proper parliamentary procedures.

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Earlier protest from John Mahama

YEN.com.gh reported that President-elect John Mahama cautioned the Electoral Commission to be fair and consistent in declaring the results.

He was remarking on the commission's decision to void the parliamentary results in some constituencies.

Mahama believes the Electoral Commission's insistence on re-collating the results in those constituencies is a departure from previous decisions made under similar circumstances.

Source: YEN.com.gh