In a statement in response to the Speaker’s order on Thursday, which declared four MP seats vacant with 50 days until the 2024 election, the NPP stated, “We will not stand idly by as the fundamentals of our democracy are eroded.
“We trust the Supreme Court and democratic institutions to correct and defeat this grave misstep, reaffirming the principles that have guided our nation since the Fourth Republic’s inception.”
“We fully acknowledge that this judgment will have a negative impact on the implementation of His Excellency President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s legislative agenda throughout the balance of his tenure. However, we firmly feel that this is necessary.
The Speaker of Parliament, Alban S.K. Bagbin, issued his ruling on Thursday evening [Oct 17] in response to a petition filed by the Minority side last Tuesday, indicating that the four MPs have vacated their seats in the current Parliament as a result of their various actions in filing to contest the December 7, 2024 parliamentary election in different capacities, as independent candidates or on the ticket of a political party.
The four MPs are Cynthia Mamle Morrison for Agona West, Kwadjo Asante for Suhum, both NPP MPs who have filed to run as independents in the next parliamentary election, and Peter Kwakye-Ackah for Amenfi Central, an NDC MP who has also filed to run as an independent.
The fourth Member of Parliament
Following the Speaker’s verdict on Thursday evening, the NDC currently holds the majority of seats in Parliament, with 136, while the NPP has 135 MPs.
Article 97 lists the reasons on which an MP may quit the seat: “1) A member of Parliament must vacate his position in Parliament—
“(g) if he leaves the party of which he was a member at the time of his election to Parliament and joins another party or seeks to remain in Parliament as an independent member; or
“(h) if he was elected to Parliament as an independent candidate and then joined a political party.
The Speaker, Alban Bagbin, while ruling on the subject stated: “it is vital to bring out that the Speaker is called upon.
