Edwin Nii Lante Vanderpuye, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) MP for Odododiodoo, has announced that the minority caucus will not return to Parliament until after the upcoming December elections as reported by Ghana Web on Wednesday, November 13, 2024.
This decision follows a Supreme Court ruling on November 12, 2024, which overturned Speaker Alban Bagbin’s declaration of four parliamentary seats as vacant.
The Supreme Court’s decision arose from Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin’s challenge to Speaker Bagbin’s interpretation of Article 97(1)(g) of Ghana’s Constitution. Bagbin had ruled the seats vacant, sparking controversy over the judicial and legislative boundaries.
Afenyo-Markin argued that the Speaker’s decision exceeded his authority, alleging it bypassed the need for judicial review and avoided by-elections in the affected constituencies.
Ultimately, the Supreme Court sided with Afenyo-Markin, countering Bagbin’s interpretation and halting his earlier ruling.
In response, Vanderpuye voiced strong opposition, asserting that NDC MPs would not participate in any parliamentary sessions until after the elections.
“They should not waste the taxpayers’ money by asking us to come to Parliament in the next three weeks. We are not coming. We are concerned about elections, and we shall only come to Parliament after the elections.
That should be at the back of their minds,” Vanderpuye stated in an interview with Channel One TV, as cited by citinewsroom.com.
Further emphasizing the NDC’s stance, he added, “We want them to understand one fact that as far as we are concerned, issues about minority or majority are determined by the numbers in the house, so when we resume, the numbers will tell whether we are the majority, or they are the majority. This is not about the Supreme Court.”
Vanderpuye criticized the majority for what he termed “unnecessary spending” of public resources and argued that the Supreme Court should not decide the minority-majority dynamics in Parliament.
He questioned, It is not for the NPP or the Supreme Court to define for us who are majority or minority in Ghana’s Parliament.”
