Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has stated that the parliamentary dispute between the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) over which side of the House is now the Majority could have been settled within Parliament.
Addressing the media on Wednesday, November 6, 2024, he noted that Parliament weakens itself when its members continually turn to the court to settle or seek favorable determinations not just on legal matters, but also on political and governance issues.
"Parliament weakens itself when its members keep running to our court to seek favorable determinations of not just legal matters but essentially political and governance matters. It is my firm belief that the matter before the Supreme Court can be settled in Parliament through mature deliberations and no compromises.
"Please make no mistake, not all the strong men President Obama warned us about come in military uniforms, some come dressed in suits. I hope that in my lifetime Ghana shall have a President and a Speaker who are truly independent from Jubilee, or Flagstaff House in the conduct of their business," he remarked.
The Speaker recently declared four seats vacant on the grounds that the affected Members of Parliament had crossed carpets by filing to contest the December 7, 2024, parliamentary elections in different capacities, either as independents or on the tickets of political parties—an action which diverges from the status under which they were elected to the House.
His ruling has since been challenged at the Supreme Court, and the case is still pending.
However, in response to a call from the NPP caucus, Bagbin announced that Parliament will reconvene on Thursday, November 7, 2024.
JKB/MA
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