Legal representatives for Speaker Alban Bagbin have requested that Justice Ernest Yao Gaewu, one of the judges presiding over the case concerning four vacant parliamentary seats, recuse himself from the proceedings.
During a court session on October 30, lead counsel Thaddeus Sory raised concerns about Justice Gaewu’s ties to the New Patriotic Party (NPP). Mr. Sory pointed out that the judge had previously contested for parliamentary office as an NPP candidate in the Volta Region, asserting that this connection compromises his impartiality in the case.
“He was known to be associated with the New Patriotic Party (NPP), and in fact, he was a parliamentary candidate in one of their constituencies in the Volta Region,” Mr. Sory stated.
The legal contention arose following an ex-parte motion filed on October 18, 2024, by Effutu MP and Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin, challenging Speaker Bagbin’s declaration of the four parliamentary seats as vacant. This declaration came after MPs made the decision to switch party affiliations ahead of the December 7 election, resulting in the NPP becoming the minority with 135 seats due to the loss of three of its 138 seats.
The Supreme Court subsequently issued a stay of execution on the Speaker’s declaration, igniting a wave of controversy. In response, Speaker Bagbin has submitted an application contesting the apex court’s ruling, arguing that it misapplied the law by halting the execution of his decision, which he maintains was a non-judicial matter.
