Avoid partisan positions in vacant parliamentary seat saga!
The Ghanaian Times thinks the country’s current hung parliament, in which its membership is made up of 137 each for the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC)—and an independent member to make it make 275, is a great opportunity for all Ghanaians to observe political sincerity or objectivity or otherwise in the country.
This year is an election year and three MPs, two from the ruling NPP, one NDC have decided to go independent while the already independent MP wants to run for this year’s election on NPP’s ticket.
The MPs are Kwadwo Asante, NPP MP for Suhum Constituency; Cynthia Mamle Morrison, NPP MP for Agona West Constituency; Peter Yaw Kwakye-Ackah, NDC MP for Amenfi Central; and Andrew Amoako Asiama, Independent MP for Fomena Constituency.
Following the decisions of the four MPs, the NDC MP for Tamale South, Haruna Iddrisu, presented an official petition to the Speaker of Parliament, Mr Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, to have the seats of the MPs declared vacant since they had crossed carpet.
Mr Haruna’s basis is that Article 97 (1) (g) of the Constitution stipulates that MPs must vacate their seats if they leave the party under which they were elected or attempt to remain in Parliament as independent candidates.
Sensing that such a situation would pose danger to NPP as it would lose its majority status in parliament with the support of Mr Asiamah, the Majority Leader and NPP MP for Efutu Constituency, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, quickly ran to the Supreme Court with an ex-parte motion challenging the decision to declare the four seats vacant.
Before the Supreme Court would give any ruling on the matter, Mr Bagbin officially declared the four seats vacant last Thursday, but on Friday, the Supreme Court ‘overturned’ the ruling of the Speaker of Parliament, ordering the Speaker to allow the affected four MPs to continue to represent their constituents.
Meanwhile, the MP for Bawku Central, Mahama Ayariga and his party,NDC, have expressed their strong disapproval of the Supreme Court ruling.
Ayariga says the attention of Parliament would be drawn to Articles 115 and 122 of the 1992 Constitution and NDC says it will safegueard its ‘acquired’ majority status.
This means the controversy rides on and the question is, are politicians seeking their own interests or that of the nation?
Would the Majority leader have gone to the Supreme Court if the Speaker’s ruling was going to favour his party?
It would be recalled that the then General Secretary of the NPP, Mr John Boadu, in a statement on October 13, 2020, called for the seat of Andrew Amoako Asiama, then the NPP MP for Fomena, to be declared vacant since he had gone independent for the 2020 elections.
The then Speaker of Parliament, Prof. Aaron Mike Oquaye, subsequently declared Asiamah’s seat vacant but he won it and returned to Parliament as an Independent.
Mr Boadu cited the same Article 97(1)(g) of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana alluded to by Mr Haruna.
What is different about the current situation?
The Ghanaian Times only hopes that the matter would be resolved devoid of partisan positions so that there would be an amicable solution.
This would set a proper tone for the real growth of the country’s democracy, a growth that would inure to the benefit of the whole country and for the education of both the present and future generations.
The country needs productive democratic precedents that make it easy to take decisions that are progressive and for the benefit of all, rather than political parties.
