The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has declared the seats of four Members of Parliament vacant.
This comes after former Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu petitioned the Speaker of Parliament to declare the seats of four Members of Parliament (MPs) vacant.
The Members of Parliament whose seats have been declared vacant by the Speaker are NDC’s Peter Yaw Kwakye Ackah of Amenfi Central, Andrew Amoakoh Asiama of Fomena, Hon. Kojo Asante, NPP MP for Suhum in the Eastern Region, and NPP’s Cynthia Morrison of Agona West.
In the Speaker’s ruling, he explained that if Article 97(1)(g) of the 1992 Constitution were intended to apply only to a future parliament, its existence would be unnecessary, as the MPs in question would have already completed their terms in the current parliament.
The Speaker further pointed out that the previous instance where former Speaker Prof. Mike Oquaye expelled the Fomena MP from the House, following the NPP’s notification of the MP’s decision to run as an independent candidate, was not binding on him or any future Speaker.
He also emphasized that once the notice of polls officially confirmed the four MPs were running as independents, they had no right to continue serving as MPs in the current parliament.
He thus proceeded to declare their seats vacant.
Meanwhile, the Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin announced that he has filed an injunction application at the Supreme Court in response to the Minority’s efforts to declare the seats of Independent candidates vacant.
Alexander Afenyo-Markin says he does not want to be drawn into the Precedent set in 2020 when then NPP MP, Andrew Amoako Asiamah’s seat was declared vacant.
He believes the Supreme Court is the only institution to interpret this.
