20/10/2024
Speaker of Parliament Alban
Bagbin
has delivered his ruling on a petition calling for the removal of four sitting Members of Parliament (MPs).
Speaker Bagbin has declared vacant the seats occupied by Cynthia Morrison (Agona West), Kojo Asante (Suhum), Andrew Asiamah (Fomena), who sided with the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and Peter Kwakye Ackah (Amenfi Central), who run on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) during the 2020 elections.
These individuals have filed to contest as independent candidates in the upcoming December elections. Their removal was spearheaded by former Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu, who invoked Article 97 (1)(g) of the Constitution, which mandates that MPs who contest as independent candidates must vacate their seats.
Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin responded to the matter by filing a legal challenge at the Supreme Court to prevent the Minority’s bid. The Majority Leader has contested the Speaker’s ruling, however, the Minority Leader Ato Forson lauded the Speaker “for standing firm.”
Prior to the ruling, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) held 137 seats, while the NPP had 138. With the successful motion, the NDC now has a parliamentary majority with 136 seats while the NPP has 135 seats.
One of the affected MPs, Peter Kwakye Ackah, before the Speaker’s ruling, remained unfazed by the impending ruling, expressing confidence in his position.
“I have not declared that I have left the party. I am only declaring my intention that in the next parliament, I would want to be an independent candidate. And so if somebody is also an NPP or NDC now, and he wants to go independent, he is not saying that he is leaving
NPP
,” Kwakye Ackah explained.
He further elaborated that his decision to run as an independent candidate does not necessarily mean he has severed ties with his current party but reflects his future plans for the next parliament.
