A former First Deputy Speaker in the Fourth Parliament, Freddie Blay has lauded the Supreme Court’s order on the declaration of four seats vacant.
According to him, Speaker Alban Bagbin was leading Parliament into chaos when he declared the seats vacant on Thursday.
Speaking on Asempa FM Ekosii Sen, programme Friday, the former New Patriotic Party (NPP) Chairman stated that, the order of the Apex Court is to avoid a pandemonium.
“Speaker Bagbin rushed in giving the ruling on the four embattled MPs because he should make it possible to allow MPs to cross carpet. So the Supreme Court’s order is good to uphold parliamentary democracy,” he said.
The NPP MPs led by Alexander Afenyo-Markin filed the application to stay the Speaker’s decision to seek the court’s intervention to halt the enforcement of the ruling that would have affected three of their colleagues and one from the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
The application was filed ex parte, hence did not require the participation or response of the Speaker or other parliamentary authorities.
The case was heard on Friday by a panel of Supreme Court justices, presided over by Chief Justice Gertrude Torkonoo.
Other members of the panel included Justice Mariama Owusu, Justice Kwame Adibu Asiedu, Justice Ernest Yao Gaewu, and Justice Yaw Darko Asare, who together delivered the ruling to stay the Speaker’s decision.
Representing the NPP MPs were lawyers Paa Kwesi Abaidoo and former Attorney General Joe Ghartey.
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