By Yesmeen Abubakar Tetteh:
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Caucus in Parliament has taken over the seats typically reserved for the Majority in the House.
This action has intensified the already tense standoff between the two sides.
The move by the NDC Caucus, led by its leadership, comes as Parliament reconvenes for a highly anticipated session today Tuesday, October 22, 2024.
On Thursday, October 17, 2024, the Speaker of Parliament, Mr. Alban Bagbin, officially declared four Parliamentary seats vacant.
The affected constituencies were Amenfi Central, Fomena, Agona West, and Suhum.
The decision followed a formal petition submitted to the Speaker by Mr. Haruna Iddrisu, an NDC Member of Parliament (MP) for Tamale South.
Mr. Iddrisu questioned the basis of the Members’ continual stay in the House after they had filed to contest in the next Parliamentary elections on other tickets rather than the tickets on which they entered the House.
The petition triggered extensive debates and arguments within Parliament, with both the Majority and Minority sides presenting their cases.
In the end, the Speaker declared the four seats vacant, citing provisions in the 1992 Constitution of Ghana and a ruling in a similar matter by his predecessor, Professor Micheal Oquaye.
Article 97(1)(g) of Ghana’s Constitution states that a Member of Parliament shall vacate his/her seat if the person leaves the party that elected him/her to join another party or seek to remain in Parliament as an independent member.
While the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Caucus in Parliament had condemned and described the Speaker’s ruling as “evil”, the Supreme Court had set aside the ruling of the Speaker of Parliament declaring four Parliamentary seats vacant.
The Court noted that declaring the four seats vacant would affect the democratic rights of the constituents who voted for them.
The execution of the Speaker of Parliament ruling declaring four seats vacant is hereby stayed pending the final determination of the suit.
The Speaker of Parliament and the Attorney General had, however, been directed to file their statements of case within seven days.
The five-member panel presided over by the Chief Justice, Her Ladyship Gertrude Torkornoo also ordered parties to file joint memoranda of issues within seven days.
Meanwhile, the bold action taken by the NDC Caucus, which had left the left side of the floor empty had heightened the political friction between the two Caucus’ in the House as both sides vie for control of the Chamber amid a series of legal and political disputes.
The Majority Caucus, led by Mr. Frank Annoh-Dompreh, addressing a section of the media expressed strong disapproval of the NDC Caucus’ actions. He, however, dismissed earlier accusations of being smuggled into Parliament.
He is, therefore, warned that the NPP Caucus would not stand idly by while the NDC Caucus tried to assert control.
Security in and around Parliament had been visibly heightened in anticipation of clashes between the two sides.
Both MPs and parliamentary staff were subjected to thorough screening before entering the Chamber, and bodyguards were not permitted inside.
Additionally, access to the public gallery had been restricted, and parking around the Grand Arena had also been tightly controlled to prevent congestion.
The political stalemate in Parliament comes at a critical time for Ghana, as the country gears up for the 2024 general elections.
The legal and constitutional implications of the Speaker’s ruling, the Supreme Court’s intervention, and the ongoing tussle over parliamentary seats have created a volatile atmosphere, with both the NPP and NDC determined to emerge victorious.
