Military invading Parliament equates a coup – Lawyer

Private legal practitioner, Lawyer Chris Akummey has stated that no army in the world has the right to enter the space of the legislative arm of government.

He noted that any military taking such an action is equal to them undertaking a coup d’état.

“For the military to have been in parliament is equal to a coup d’état.

When there is a process going on with the legislative arm of gov’t and soldiers enter uninvited, then it is an attempt at a coup. No army in the world has the right to enter parliament. It is unwarranted”, he stated.

According to the lawyer, Parliament is an independent body that sets its own rules and has its personal police unit which is even not allowed to enter the house armed. “And that has become the practice and law”.

“If any security personnel must ensure law and order in Parliament, it must be the parliamentary Police. And this must be at the request of the Parliament’s Clerk or Speaker. The military must be condemned for intervening in what happened in the house”, the learned fellow posited.

When asked if it was possible for the Marshals of Parliament to have invited the military into the house, Lawyer Akummey stated, “if the Marshals did so, then, a full-scale investigation must be launched to resolve any misunderstanding here. It is unacceptable for armed men to enter parliament”.

He made this known in an interview with Samuel Eshun, host of the Happy Morning Show aired on ETV Ghana and Happy 98.9 FM.

Describing the military’s role as protecting the nation against external forces, he believes if their actions are not punished, then “we might see them invading the supreme court next time”.

Ghanaian soldiers intervened in the confusion in Parliament to end a clash between opposing parties in parliament ahead of the body’s swearing-in ceremony.

Chaos erupted after one Member of Parliament, Carlos Kingsley Ahenkorah tried to seize the ballot box during the vote for parliament speaker.

The ensuing clash lasted several hours until the army stepped in, with national television broadcasting the drama live.