Parliament is reconvening on Tuesday, October 22, 2024, following last week’s newsworthy developments that travelled throughout the weekend with various public comments and reactions. Many are eagerly awaiting the session, keen to follow the proceedings after a legal dispute involving the legislative body prompted the Supreme Court to step in and issued a directive to halt implementing last Thursday’s ruling by the Speaker, which is at the centre of the controversy pending the final determination of the matter by the Supreme Court.
First of all, the House gained media prominence on October 17, 2024, when the Speaker of Parliament, Mr Alban S. K. Bagbin declared the seats of four Members of Parliament (MPs) vacant.
He ruled that four MPs — Cynthia Morrison (NPP, Agona West), Peter Yaw Kwakye-Ackah (NDC, Amenfi Central), Kwadwo Asante (NPP, Suhum), and Andrew Asiamah Amoako (Independent, Fomena)—had defected by filing to contest the 2024 elections under different political tickets. The Speaker’s ruling, which effectively terminated the MPs’ tenure, was based on Article 97 of the 1992 Constitution, which talks about how MPs shall vacate their seats.
Prior to the Speaker’s ruling, the Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin had filed a suit for the interpretation of Article 97 of the constitution. Mr Afenyo-Markin on Friday went ahead and filed an ex parte application and asked the Supreme Court to halt the ruling of the Speaker until the final determination of the matter.
The court after hearing arguments from Afenyo-Markin lawyers directed that the Speaker’s ruling should be halted and should not be implemented until the final determination of the matter, meaning the said four MPs should be allowed to go ahead and work as MPs until the Supreme Court determines the matter.
On Monday evening [October 21, 2024], a day before Parliament reconvenes, the Speaker in a post on Facebook stated: “God bless our homeland Ghana and make it great and strong, beyond any single individual or institution.”
By: Zadok Kwame Gyesi
