Supreme Court Halts Speaker Bagbin’s Ruling on Parliamentary Seats1 min read

In a pivotal decision, the Supreme Court has temporarily suspended Speaker Alban Bagbin’s ruling that declared four parliamentary seats vacant.

This ruling mandates that Parliament must acknowledge these MPs, allowing them to continue representing their constituencies and fulfilling their official roles.

The stay will remain in place until the Supreme Court issues a final verdict, extending beyond the initial 10-day request made by the applicants.

The application for this stay was filed by Members of Parliament from the New Patriotic Party (NPP), who sought judicial intervention to prevent enforcement of Bagbin’s ruling, which would have impacted three NPP MPs and one from the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

Filed ex parte, the application allowed the Court to evaluate the NPP’s request without involving Speaker Bagbin or Parliament at this stage.

Chief Justice Gertrude Torkonoo presided over the case, joined by Justices Mariama Owusu, Kwame Adibu Asiedu, Ernest Yao Gaewu, and Yaw Darko Asare, all of whom ruled in favor of the stay.

Representing the NPP were lawyers Paa Kwesi Abaidoo and former Attorney General Joe Ghartey, who successfully argued for the temporary halt of the Speaker’s decision, preserving the status of the four MPs’ seats.

The affected MPs include Cynthia Morrison (Agona West), Kwadjo Asante (Suhum), Peter Kwakye Ackah (Amenfi Central), and Andrew Asiamah (Fomena), who have shifted party affiliations or opted to run as independents ahead of the 2024 elections.

This situation previously allowed the NDC to claim a narrow majority in Parliament, but the Supreme Court’s ruling restores the previous balance of power.