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The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Bagbin, has declared four parliamentary seats vacant, a move that could shift the delicate balance of power in Ghana’s hung parliament with just two months to the December elections.
The affected MPs are Peter Yaw Kwakye Ackah of the Amenfi Central constituency (NDC), Andrew Amoako Asiamah of Fomena (Independent), Kojo Asante of Suhum (NPP), and Cynthia Morrison of Agona West (NPP).
This decision impacts the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), which previously held a slim majority with the support of Independent MP Andrew Amoako Asiamah. With these seats now vacant, the balance may favour the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).
Delivering the ruling on Thursday (17 October), Speaker Bagbin referenced Article 97 (1)(g) of the 1992 Constitution, which mandates that MPs must vacate their seats if they leave the party under which they were elected or attempt to contest elections as independent candidates.
“If Article 97 (1)(g) was only to apply to a future parliament, there would be no need for it to exist, as the affected MPs would have completed the current term,” Bagbin argued.
The Speaker emphasized that his decision was not bound by the actions of the former Speaker, Prof. Mike Oquaye, who previously expelled Asiamah from Parliament when he contested as an independent candidate in the 2020 elections.
Speaker Bagbin further explained that the MPs, having confirmed their intention to run independently in the upcoming elections, had no business remaining in Parliament. “Once the notice of polls confirmed this, their seats became vacant,” he ruled.
This decision followed a petition filed by NDC MP Haruna Iddrisu, who invoked Article 97 (1)(g) to target three NPP MPs and one NDC MP. His petition argued that the MPs violated the constitutional provision by abandoning the parties under which they were elected.
The ruling has sparked intense debate in Parliament, with both the Majority and Minority sides presenting arguments. Speaker Bagbin had requested an additional two days to carefully deliberate on the matter before delivering his verdict.
The former Speaker, Prof. Mike Oquaye, had previously argued that the NPP, and not any other person or group, should have initiated the request to declare the seats vacant. However, Speaker Bagbin dismissed this notion, emphasizing that the Constitution empowers him to act on valid petitions.
SOURCE: DAILY MAIL GH
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