The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has sparked controversy with his declaration of four parliamentary seats vacant, drawing criticism from New Patriotic Party (NPP) legislators. Effutu MP and now Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, condemned the ruling as biased, alleging a conspiracy between Speaker Bagbin and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to give the latter an advantage in the House.
The affected MPs are:
- Cynthia Morrison (Agona West), former Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, who lost the NPP parliamentary primary and will contest as an independent candidate.
- Kwadwo Asante (Suhum), sitting MP who lost the party’s nomination and will contest independently.
- Peter Kwakye Ackah (Amenfi Central), NDC MP who cited unfair treatment and will contest independently despite the Electoral Commission’s disqualification of Joana Gyan Cudjoe.
- Andrew Amoako Asiamah (Fomena), independent candidate and Second Deputy Speaker, who was sacked from the NPP and will contest on the NPP ticket.
Tamale South MP, Haruna Iddrisu, invoked Article 97 (1)(g) of the constitution, challenging the eligibility of these MPs to retain their seats ¹. Speaker Bagbin made the declaration on Thursday, October 17, after a two-day review, resulting in a significant shift in parliamentary power.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) now holds 136 seats, surpassing the NPP’s 135 seats, and will assume the Majority position. This change has far-reaching implications for governance and collaboration in Parliament.
Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin has filed an injunction application at the Supreme Court, challenging Speaker Bagbin’s decision.
