NPP's Freddie Blay cautions Bagbin against defying Supreme Court's decision

Accra, Ghana -  October 21, 2024 - The ongoing parliamentary tensions in Ghana took a new turn yesterday as Freddie Blay, former National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), weighed in on the controversy surrounding the four vacant parliamentary seats.

In an interview with Citi FM's Eyewitness News, Blay emphasized the importance of respecting the Supreme Court's ruling on the matter.

Blay stressed that the authority to interpret Ghana's laws rests with the Supreme Court, and as such, Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin should adhere to the apex court's decision. "I will be extremely surprised if the speaker does not obey the Supreme Court decision," Blay said, highlighting the separation of powers between the three organs of government.

The former NPP chairman also pointed out that Speaker Bagbin, being a lawyer, should understand the law and abide by the ruling.

“I will be extremely surprised if the speaker does not obey the Supreme Court decision because it is the Supreme Court that interprets laws and its ruling is as simple as any other thing.

“There is a separation of powers but the three organs of government all have a role to play and the role of interpretation is purely the role of the Supreme Court and so the House has to obey its decision.”

“I will be surprised and I don’t think he [Speaker Bagbin] will defy the Supreme Court’s ruling because he is a lawyer and understands the law and he must abide by the ruling,” Mr. Blay added.

Blay's comments come amidst concerns of a potential showdown in Parliament when the House reconvenes today, October 22.

However, Blay downplayed these concerns, stating that the Supreme Court's overturning of the Speaker's initial ruling makes it unlikely for tensions to escalate. 

 ''...because the Speaker gave a ruling and the Supreme Court overturned that decision and so the best is to wait on the court to make a determination on the matter.”The best is to wait on the court to make a determination on the matter," he added.

Meanwhile, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has insisted that its Members of Parliament will occupy the Majority side of the House, citing the Speaker's declaration of the four seats vacant as giving them automatic Majority status.

Source: Lead News Online