Afenyo-Markin in court is like a child looking for breastmilk – Lawyer on vacant seats

Lawyer Beatrice Annan, a spokesperson for the John Mahama campaign team has described the decision of Majority Leader Hon Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markins to go to court as childish.

During a panel discussion on TV3’s NewDay, Beatrice Annan believed that the Majority Leader, decision to go to court is like a child looking for a mother for breast milk.

According to her, the court has become a convenient excuse for the NPP, arguing that Article 97 1(g)(h) is very clear and needs no interpretations hence the petition was unnecessary.

“Article 97 1(g) (h) is very clear. There is no need for interpretation. If you go to court, before you invoke Article 21 and before you ask a supreme court to interpret a constitution, it means rivalry meanings have been placed on it. Where is the rivalry meaning?”, she asked.

Beatrice Annan disclosed that past presidents like late President John Evans Mills and John Mahama exercised constitutionalism and were not living like Arabian Kings like the current President, Akufo-Addo.

She added that the only reason why the constitution is subjected to multiple interpretations is because the president behaves like an Arabian King.

Background

The Majority Leader and Member of Parliament(MP) for Effutu Constituency, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has taken legal action at the Supreme Court, challenging the Speaker of Parliament and the Attorney General.

His application seeks to prevent the Speaker from making a ruling on a motion submitted by the Minority in Parliament to declare some seats vacant.

First, the Minority group specifically requested that the Speaker declare the seat of Andrew Asiamah Amoako, the Second Deputy Speaker, and MP for the Fomena constituency, vacant for deciding to contest the 2024 parliamentary election at Fomena under the sponsorship of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), despite currently being in Parliament as an independent MP who run the 2020 election as an independent candidate.

Additionally, the Minority is calling for the Speaker to declare the seat of Cynthia Mamle Morrison, MP for Agona West, vacant owing to her decision to run as an independent candidate in the upcoming 2024 elections, despite currently being an NPP representative.

Additionally, their petition includes Kwadjo Asante, the Suhum MP, who is also hoping to run as an independent in the next elections and requests that his seat be declared vacant.