Member of Parliament for Zebila, Cletus Avoka has criticised the Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, for his “premature” decision to file a writ at the Supreme Court regarding the petition by Haruna Iddrisu.
Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express, he described the Majority Leader’s actions as an “abuse of judicial and parliamentary process” and argued that the case is not yet ripe for legal intervention.
According to Mr Avoka, Parliament had not taken any decision on the matter at the time Afenyo-Markin went to court, making the legal action both unnecessary and premature.
“The purpose of the Supreme Court is to address actions that infringe upon the Constitution after they’ve been taken,” Avoka said, emphasising that there had been no ruling from Parliament yet for the Majority Leader to contest.
The Zebila MP explained that until Parliament debates and makes a decision on the petition, it would be inappropriate for anyone to rush to the courts.
“This is a matter that Parliament has not yet debated and taken a decision on. You cannot speculate and go to court when no action has been taken,” he added.
Avoka also stressed that allowing such premature legal actions could hamper Parliament’s work.
“If no action has been taken, how can you claim that the Constitution has been breached? If this kind of speculative action is entertained, then Parliament will never be able to function properly,” he said, warning that the move sets a dangerous precedent where any ongoing parliamentary matter could be halted through legal injunctions.
Calling Afenyo-Markin’s move “illegal,” Avoka asserted that Parliament should be allowed to operate without judicial interference unless there has been a clear breach of the Constitution.
He cautioned that this approach could “tie the hands” of Parliament and undermine its effectiveness.
ALSO READ: