Former Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu has called for the removal of Majority MPs contesting as independent parliamentary candidates, asserting that their actions are unconstitutional.
Citing Article 97(1)(g) of the 1992 Constitution, he argued that any MP who leaves their party to seek re-election as an independent candidate must vacate their seat in Parliament.
His comments come after four members of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), including former Minister of State Cynthia Morrison, announced their intention to run as independent candidates in the upcoming election.
Haruna Iddrisu warned that enforcing this constitutional provision could significantly impact the NPP’s parliamentary majority until by-elections are held to fill the vacant seats.
Article 97 (1) (g) states that: A member of Parliament shall vacate his seat “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.”
A district magistrate court in Agona Swedru has issued an injunction against Cynthia Morrison, preventing her from running as an independent parliamentary candidate for Agona West in the Central Region.
Morrison, who won the seat for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in 2016 and 2020, decided to run independently after alleging that her party had schemed to undermine her in the internal primaries.
The plaintiffs are arguing Cynthia Morrison of not being a resident of Agona West but Agona East and therefore not eligible to contest the seat. The plaintiffs are Emmanuel Addison, Solomon Nyarko and Harrison A. Aglago, who are all National Democratic Congress (NDC) Branch Executive in the Agona West Constituency.
The court’s order stipulates that she cannot present herself as a parliamentary candidate until the case is “fully determined.” With the 2024 election less than two months away, there are concerns that the ruling could delay the case until after the election, resulting in significant losses in campaign time for Morrison.
Three months ago, she announced her independent candidacy after losing in the NPP’s parliamentary primary, where she received 152 votes compared to Christopher Arthur’s 240.
Despite her defeat, Morrison has expressed that her commitment to developing Agona West motivated her decision to contest independently in the upcoming election.