The Majority in Parliament is preparing for a standoff following the Minority’s push to have four parliamentary seats declared vacant.
Former Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu is spearheading the effort to vacate three Majority seats—Amenfi Central, Suhum, and Agona West—and the Fomena seat, currently held by a Minority MP.
The move follows the decision by the affected MPs to either run as Independent candidates or align with other political parties.
Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin confirmed that Haruna Iddrisu has officially written to the Speaker, basing his motion on Orders 99 and 18 of Parliament’s Standing Orders.
“I got a memo from the respected member for Tamale South, addressed to Mr. Speaker, petitioning to declare some seats vacant,” Afenyo-Markin told the press.
In response, Afenyo-Markin has filed an action at the Supreme Court, seeking to block any declaration of the seats as vacant.
Additionally, he has filed an injunction application, which has been served on Parliament.
Meanwhile, MP for Manhia North, Akwasi Ampofo Adjei, has criticized the Minority’s move, arguing that it misinterprets the constitution.
“They are wrongly comparing this with what happened in the 7th Parliament, where a party suspended the candidate. That triggered Article 97, but this situation is different,” he argued.