The Member of Parliament for Yapei-Kusawgu, John Jinapor, has called on the Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, to allow Speaker Alban Bagbin to deliver a ruling on whether MPs who came to parliament on the tickets of political parties can keep their seats if they are declaring independence.
Afenyo-Markin has hinted of going to the Supreme Court to seek an injunction against the Speaker from ruling on the matter.
Mr Jinapor criticised the Majority Leader’s decision to seek an injunction, describing it as unnecessary and premature.
Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show, Mr Jinapor emphasised that, Speaker Bagbin has not yet ruled on the matter at hand, which involves the potential dismissal of the MPs involved.
He pointed out that, there is already a precedent from 2020 when former Speaker Mike Oquaye ruled on a similar case, which the New Patriotic Party (NPP) supported at the time.
“Speaker Alban Bagbin has not even ruled on this matter. There is a ruling that is standing, and that was the ruling of Mike Oquaye in 2020, and we are faced with a similar situation. The incumbent Speaker has not ruled, and yet people are drawing all kinds of conclusions,” he stated.
He suggested that the Majority’s real concern lies in the potential impact of Speaker Bagbin’s ruling in line with the Oquaye precedent.
If Bagbin upholds the call to dismiss the MPs, the NPP’s majority in Parliament could be at risk, and Mr Afenyo-Markin could end up as the Minority Leader.
“If Speaker Bagbin rules in consonance with what Mike Oquaye ruled, it means that the Majority will turn into a Minority and that is the worry,” he said.
Mr Jinapor further criticised Afenyo-Markin’s attempt to block the Speaker’s ruling through the courts, calling it “funny and unfortunate.”
He expressed disbelief that the Supreme Court would grant an injunction on the Speaker’s pending decision, warning that such an action could deepen suspicions of judicial bias.
“There is a matter before the Speaker, and the Speaker says he will consult and make a decision. The Majority is already at the Supreme Court seeking an injunction on Parliament. I will be very surprised if the Supreme Court grants that injunction,” he remarked.
He added that if the court were to grant the injunction, it would reinforce concerns about the fairness of the judicial system, particularly in politically sensitive cases.
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