I am the gatekeeper, MPs-elect whose results were quashed are not eligible to be sworn in – Speaker Bagbin

Accra, Ghana - December 28, 2024 -  Ghana's Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has reaffirmed that MPs-elect from four disputed constituencies will not be sworn in on January 6, 2025.

The Speaker's stance follows a Supreme Court ruling on Friday, December 27, 2024, that annulled the re-collated results for the Okaikwei Central, Ablekuma North, Tema Central, and Techiman South constituencies.

Speaking in parliament in Accra on Saturday Dece 28, Bagbin emphasized that the affected individuals cannot be recognized as legitimate MPs-elect, citing the Supreme Court's decision and the need to uphold the rule of law.

“The decision of the Supreme Court just followed the position I took before they even delivered their decision. To become a member of parliament, you have to be elected by the voter, and you have to be declared by the electoral commission.

“But you have to be sworn in by the speaker. Until you are sworn in by the speaker, you remain MP-elect. So I was very clear in my mind that some of those re-collation and re-declarations were completely null and void.

“They were unknown to the law and so they were not properly so-called MPs-elect and not qualified to be sworn in by me. My clerk is here. We had those discussions when I told them. They were all surprised. I said, yes. I’m the gatekeeper. The right thing must be done for us to be able to reset Ghana,'' he added.

Source: Lead News Online