Supreme Court ruling heightening tensions between Parliament and Judiciary – Edudzi Tamakloe

Mr. Godwin Edudzi Tamakloe, Director of Legal Affairs for the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), has expressed strong disapproval of the Supreme Court’s decision to stay the execution of Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin’s ruling, which declared four parliamentary seats vacant.

Mr. Tamakloe described the Supreme Court’s ruling as "extremely strange" and criticized the court for considering the motion for abridgement of time on an ex-parte basis.

According to him, the situation did not warrant such a decision.

“The motion for abridgement of time should not have been handled ex-parte. It's not as if the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in Parliament has been prevented from working—they voluntarily staged a walkout. Parliament is proceeding normally,” he argued.

Mr. Tamakloe also questioned the enforceability of the court's decision, noting that if the Speaker instructs the Parliament marshal not to allow the four affected MPs to participate in parliamentary proceedings, the Supreme Court may face challenges in enforcing its ruling.

He further expressed concern about the impact of the decision on Ghana's democracy, describing the situation as "extremely dangerous" and cautioning that it could test the patience of the Ghanaian public. “We’re beginning to test the patience of Ghanaians, and this experiment called democracy is extremely dangerous,” Tamakloe stated.

The Speaker’s original ruling, which followed a motion by former Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu, invoked constitutional provisions that require Members of Parliament who seek to run as independent candidates to vacate their seats.

The MPs affected by the ruling — Cynthia Morrison (Agona West), Kwadjo Asante (Suhum), Andrew Amoako Asiamah (Fomena), and Peter Kwakye Ackah (Amenfi Central)—were found to have violated these provisions by either switching political affiliations or expressing their intention to contest the upcoming elections as independents.

Mr. Tamakloe’s remarks highlight growing tension between the judiciary and Parliament over the fate of the four MPs and the broader implications of the ruling for Ghana’s democratic processes.

He spoke on Accra-based Channel One TV.