Supreme Court may not be able to override Bagbin’s ruling on 4 vacant seats - UPSA Law Dean

The Dean of the Law School at the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) Ernest Kofi Abotsi has argued that the Supreme Court may lack the jurisdiction to overturn certain decisions made by the Speaker of Parliament, especially regarding internal parliamentary affairs. 

In a radio interview with Accra based Joy FM on Friday morning, Prof. Abotsi emphasized that the Speaker has the constitutional mandate to make rulings related to parliamentary processes, and the court’s involvement would be limited to ensuring the Speaker's actions remain within legal boundaries.

His comment followed Alexander Afenyo-Markin, the leader of the New Party Patriotic (NPP) members in Parliament’s court action, asking the Supreme Court to halt an action initiated by the Member of Parliament for Tamale South, Haruna Iddrisu. Iddrisu, which challenged the status of four parliamentarians. 

Despite this legal effort, Speaker Alban Bagbin declared four parliamentary seats vacant, citing the MPs' choice to run as independent candidates in the forthcoming elections.

In reaction, Mr Afenyo-Markin announced that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Caucus would abstain from parliamentary proceedings until the Supreme Court delivers its verdict on the matter. 

According to Prof Abotsi, the court should avoid interfering in standard parliamentary functions, where the Speaker holds authority over the chamber’s operations.

The four MPs whose seats were declared vacant include Cynthia Morrison (Agona West), Kwadjo Asante (Suhum), Peter Kwakye Ackah (Amenfi Central) and Andrew Amoako Asiamah (Fomena), due to their decisions to contest as independents or align with other political parties.