Former Chief of Staff, Kwadwo Mpiani
Former Chief of Staff under the erstwhile John Agyekum Kufuor government, Kwadwo Mpiani, has encouraged parliamentarians to adopt a culture of independently and internally resolving matters in the House.
According to Mr. Mpiani, frequent resort to the judiciary in resolving matters related to the House could be disruptive to the work of Parliament.
“I don’t personally believe that anybody should injunct Parliament because if you do that, you will make the work of Parliament more difficult because, next time, I will run to court to injunct Parliament on how it does its work. Parliament should be able to resolve its issues itself. If you return to Parliament and don’t get a quorum for decisions, what has been achieved?” he questioned in a Joynews interview on November 13, 2024.
His comment comes on the back of a ruling by the Supreme Court on Tuesday overturning the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin’s declaration of four seats in the House as vacant.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday, November 12, 2024, overruled Speaker Alban Bagbin’s declaration of four seats in the House as vacant, ruling that the decision was unconstitutional.
The Supreme Court’s verdict follows a suit filed by Alexander Kwamina Afenyo-Markin challenging Speaker Bagbin’s declaration.
The court, led by Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo and comprising seven justices, ruled in favour of Afenyo-Markin, accepting all his arguments in a 5-2 majority decision.
Per the Supreme Court’s ruling, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) reclaimed its position as the Majority in Parliament.
The Speaker had declared their seats vacant per Article 97 (g) and (h) of the 1992 Constitution after the affected MPs decided to contest in the December 7, 2024, elections on tickets different from the ones they currently represent in Parliament.
Meanwhile, Mr. Mpiani has urged the Speaker to respect the ruling by the apex court. He has also encouraged members of Parliament to prioritise constructive discussions when resolving issues.
Watch George Ayisi’s interview with Adam Bonaa on the recent unrest in Bawku below:
