Edudzi Tamakloe slams Supreme Court's 'strange' ruling on vacant MP seats

Accra, Ghana - October 18, 2024 - The National Democratic Congress's (NDC) Director of Legal Affairs, Godwin Edudzi Tamakloe, has strongly criticized the Supreme Court's decision to stay Speaker Alban Bagbin's ruling declaring four parliamentary seats vacant.

Tamakloe argued that the motion for abridgement of time should not have been considered ex-parte, emphasizing that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) lawmakers had voluntarily staged a walkout.

The controversy surrounds four MPs - Cynthia Morrison, Kwadjo Asante, Andrew Amoako Asiamah, and Peter Kwakye Ackah - who were declared to have breached constitutional provisions by switching parties or running as independents.

The Supreme Court's stay order temporarily suspends any actions related to the ruling, sparking concerns about the implications for Ghana's democracy.

Tamakloe warned that this development could test Ghanaians' patience, describing the experiment of democracy as "extremely dangerous."

“First of all, this ruling is extremely strange, you understand? The motion for abridgement of time should not go ex-parte. It is not the case that the NPP in parliament have been stopped from working, they voluntarily staged a walkout. They are normal proceedings with parliament.”

“If the Speaker of Parliament instructs the marshal of Parliament not to allow the four MPs’ presence in Parliament, what will the Supreme Court do?

“Respectfully, we’re beginning to test the patience of Ghanaians, and this experiment called democracy is extremely dangerous,'' he added.

Source: Lead News Online