Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin has demanded that his lawyers seek legal action to temporarily suspend the Supreme Court’s recent declaring four parliamentary seats not vacant, this is according to a JoyNews report.
Speaker Alban Bagbin had declared four parliamentary seats vacant in accordance with Article 97(g) and (h) of the 1992 Constitution.
This provision stipulates that any Member of Parliament (MP) who intends to run as an independent candidate or contest for a different party in the upcoming 2024 elections must vacate their seat.
The affected MPs were Cynthia Morrison, Kwadjo Asante, Andrew Amoako Asiamah, and Peter Kwakye Ackah. The Supreme Court’s suspension delays any immediate actions until the case is fully resolved.
However, the Supreme Court instructed Bagbin to halt his ruling after an application from New Patriotic Party (NPP) MPs challenged the Speaker’s ruling. The court, led by Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, issued a stay of execution, halting the enforcement of Bagbin’s ruling until further legal proceedings take place.