NDC Raises Opposition To Swearing-In Of Three NPP MPs-Elect From Contested Constituencies

• The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has protested against the swearing-in of three New Patriotic Party (NPP) Members-elect of Parliament
• The party has cited legal and procedural irregularities as the basis for their opposition to their swearing-in
• The three MPs-elect are Patrick Yaw Boamah of the Okaikwei Central constituency, Charles Forson of Tema Central, and Martin Adjei Mensah Korsah of Techiman South

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has opposed the swearing-in of three New Patriotic Party (NPP) Members-elect of Parliament, citing legal and procedural irregularities.

The three MPs-elect are Patrick Yaw Boamah of the Okaikwei Central constituency, Charles Forson of Tema Central, and Martin Adjei Mensah Korsah of Techiman South.

The three individuals were declared winners of their respective parliamentary seats after the re-collation of their constituency results following the Supreme Court quashing an earlier re-collation.

The latest re-collation followed a directive from the High Court to the Electoral Commission to re-collate the results for the constituencies after the NPP had filed a mandamus application insisting that the original collations and declarations, which had seen these contested constituencies go to the NDC, were fraught with illegalities.

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However, the NDC legal team lead, Justice Srem Sai, has opposed the latest re-collation exercise.

In an interview on Citi FM on Monday, January 6, 2025, he argued that the process leading to the re-collation and declaration of these MPs-elect was fraught with legal and procedural irregularities.

He said swearing in the MPs-elect from the contested seats was tantamount to a constitutional violation and must not be allowed to occur.

According to him, despite the EC conducting the re-collation in accordance with a High Court directive, the legal dispute concerning the collation’s validity had not been fully resolved.

Srem Said disclosed that the NDC filed an appeal for a stay of execution against the High Court’s directive, which had been formally served on the Electoral Commission.

He noted that the action had technically placed the re-collation process under judicial review.

Thus, the entire process was unlawful and should not have happened, and the swearing-in of the MPs-elect would further exacerbate the illegality.

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Bagbin refuses to swear-in MPs

Meanwhile, 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 NDC against the initial re-collation order from the High Court on December 20, 2024.

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

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.

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“Until you are sworn in by the Speaker, you remain an MP-elect," Bagbin explained.

Mahama endorses Bagbin as Speaker

YEN.com.gh also previously reported that John Dramani Mahama had endorsed Alban Bagbin for the role of Speaker in the ninth parliament of the Fourth Republic of Ghana.

The President-elect's endorsement was confirmed in a press statement released on social media by his special aide, Felix Ofosu Kwakye. Babgin was sworn in on January 7, 2021.

Proofread by Bruce Douglas, senior copy editor at YEN.com.gh

Source: YEN.com.gh