Godwin Edudzi Tamakloe, the Director of Legal Affairs for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has expressed strong opposition to the Supreme Court’s decision to stay the execution of Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin’s ruling, which declared four parliamentary seats vacant.
In an interview with Nana Tuffour Boateng on Channel One TV, Tamakloe criticized the Supreme Court’s ruling, arguing that the motion for abridgement should not have been considered ex-parte.
“First of all, this ruling is extremely strange, you understand? The motion for abridgement of time should not go ex-parte. It is not the case that the NPP in parliament have been stopped from working, they voluntarily staged a walkout. They are normal proceedings with parliament.”
“If the Speaker of Parliament instructs the marshal of Parliament not to allow the four MPs’ presence in Parliament, what will the Supreme Court do?
He also described as extremely dangerous the experiment of democracy.
“Respectfully, we’re beginning to test the patience of Ghanaians, and this experiment called democracy is extremely dangerous.”
The Speaker’s ruling, made after a motion by former Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu, invoked constitutional provisions that mandate MPs who seek to run as independent candidates to vacate their seats.
The affected MPs—Cynthia Morrison (Agona West), Kwadjo Asante (Suhum), Andrew Amoako Asiamah (Fomena), and Peter Kwakye Ackah (Amenfi Central)—were declared to have breached these provisions by either switching political affiliations or indicating their intention to run as independents in the upcoming election.
Ahead of the Speaker’s ruling on Thursday, Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin took urgent legal action, filing with the Supreme Court on Tuesday, October 15, to seek clarification on the status of the four MPs, who had decided to contest the upcoming December 2024 elections either as members of the NPP or as independent candidates.
On Friday, Afenyo-Markin also filed for a stay of execution of the Speaker’s ruling. In response, the Supreme Court’s stay order temporarily suspends any actions related to the ruling, including the declaration of the seats as vacant.
Supreme Court quashes Bagbin’s ruling
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