Vacant Seats Saga: Supreme Court judgment sound – Ishaq Ibrahim

Lawyer and lecturer at the University of Professional Studies (UPSA) and a member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Ishaq Ibrahim, has noted that the Supreme Court holds a crucial role in upholding the Constitution and resolving national disputes.

Speaking during the ‘Weekly Review’ segment on Starr FM with Naa Dedei Tettey, the NPP stalwart argued that the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Speaker Bagbin's ruling is sound and justified.

His remarks came following the court’s recent ruling, which nullified the Speaker’s declaration of four parliamentary seats as vacant. According to Ibrahim, the Supreme Court’s powers, as outlined in Article 2, mandate compliance with its decisions to ensure the integrity of constitutional governance.

The legal practitioner explained that, under Article 99, the authority to determine parliamentary membership resides with the High Court, not the Speaker. He highlighted that while Article 110 grants Parliament the power to set procedural standing orders, including pronouncing vacancies, it does not supersede the specific provisions in Article 99 regarding membership determinations.

He further admonished the Speaker of Parliament to comply with the court’s ruling and do the right thing. Thus, the NPP caucus should return to their seating arrangement. “So, what they need to do is go back and sit where they used to sit, and the Speaker will continue as if we never had this problem,” he said.