Supreme Court overturns Speaker’s ruling ousting 4 MPs from Parliament

The Supreme Court has put a hold on Speaker Alban Bagbin’s decision that declared four parliamentary seats vacant.

Parliament is now required to acknowledge these four MPs, allowing them to fully represent their constituencies and perform their official roles.

This order will stay in place until the Supreme Court makes its final decision on the matter, rather than the 10 days initially requested by the applicants.

The request to pause the Speaker’s ruling was made by Members of Parliament from the New Patriotic Party (NPP), who asked the Court to intervene to prevent the ruling from affecting three of their members and one from the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

The application was filed ex parte, meaning that Speaker Bagbin and Parliament were not included in the case, allowing the Court to consider the NPP MPs’ request without their input at this stage.

The case was reviewed by a panel of Supreme Court justices led by Chief Justice Gertrude Torkonoo, with Justices Mariama Owusu, Kwame Adibu Asiedu, Ernest Yao Gaewu, and Yaw Darko Asare also participating in the ruling to stay the Speaker’s decision.

Lawyers Paa Kwesi Abaidoo and former Attorney General Joe Ghartey represented the NPP MPs and successfully argued for the stay, which temporarily prevents the enforcement of the Speaker’s ruling.
This decision keeps the four MPs’ seats secure for now.

The ruling affects MPs Cynthia Morrison (Agona West), Kwadjo Asante (Suhum), Peter Kwakye Ackah (Amenfi Central), and Andrew Asiamah (Fomena), who either decided to run as independents or changed party affiliations for the upcoming 2024 elections.

Consequently, the NDC, which was previously in the Minority, now claims a majority with 136 seats, compared to the NPP’s 135, leading to changes in parliamentary leadership.