Members of Parliament from the New Patriotic Party (NPP) side have said they are remaining steadfast in the commitment to upholding the constitution and serving the interests of the Ghanaian people.
In a statement reacting to the Speaker’s ruling on Thursday that declared the seats of four MPs vacant with 50 days to Election 2024, the NPP said said, “we will not stand idly by as the foundations of our democracy are undermined.
“We have unwavering faith in the wisdom of the Supreme Court and the resilience of our democratic institutions to correct and
defeat this grave misstep, reaffirming the principles that have guided our nation since the inception of the Fourth Republic.
“We fully recognize that this decision will, to some extent, negatively affect the prosecution of the legislative agenda of the government of His Excellency President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for the remainder of his tenure. However, we firmly believe this is a necessary price to pay in mounting a formidable defense of our Constitution and safeguarding the will of the people of Ghana. The preservation of our democratic principles and the integrity of our constitutional order must take precedence over short-term legislative goals.
The Speaker of Parliament, Alban S.K. Bagbin is his ruling on Thursday evening [Oct 17] following a petition filed by Minority side last Tuesday indicated the four MPs by their various actions for deciding to file to contest the December 7, 2024 parliamentary election in different capacities, as either independent candidates or on the ticket of a political party by that action, have vacated their seats in the current Parliament.
The four MPs are Cynthia Mamle Morrison for Agona West, Kwadjo Asante for Suhum, both NPP MPs who have filed to contest the next parliamentary election as independent candidates and Peter Kwakye-Ackah for Amenfi Central, an NDC MP who has also filed to contest the next election as an independent candidate.
The fourth MP is Andrew Amoako Asiamah, MP for Fomena who is also the Second Deputy Speaker, who was elected as an independent candidate but has filed to contest the next election on the ticket of the NPP.
Thursday evening’s ruling by the Speaker means the NDC now has the majority seats in Parliament with 136 seats while the NPP now has 135 seats.
Article 97 states the grounds on which an MP may vacate the seat: “1) A member of Parliament shall vacate his seat in Parliament—
“(g) if he leaves the party of which he was a member at the time of his election to Parliament to join another party or seeks to remain in Parliament as an independent member; or
“(h) if he was elected a member of Parliament as an independent candidate and joins a political party.
The Speaker, Alban Bagbin in ruling the matter stated: “it is important to point out that the Speaker is called upon by the Standing Orders of Parliament, particularly Order 18, to inform the House of the occurrence of a vacancy of the seat of a Member under Clause (1) (b) to (e), (g) and (h) of Article 97 of the Constitution.”
“Accordingly, I proceed to inform the House that by the notification of the polls [by the Electoral Commission for Election 2024] the following Members of Parliament have by their actions vacated their seats in Parliament,” the said.
Meanwhile, the NPP side in Parliament has already filed a suit at the Supreme Court seeking an interpretation of Article 97 in relation to the current ruling by the Speaker.
The NPP side has indicated that they are not going to be in the House until the Supreme Court determines the matter.
The NPP leader in Parliament, Alexander Afenyo Markin had challenged the Speaker’s ruling and after that, walked out of the House together with all members of the NPP side.
Source: Enoch Darfah Frimpong
