Member of Parliament (MP) for Bolgatanaga, Dr Diminic Ayine has described the Supreme Court’s stay on Speaker Bagbin’s declaration of four seats vacant as disturbing.
According to him, the order shows there is a constitutional crisis.
“This is a very disturbing development, for them to obtain an ex-parte motion, meaning the parliament was not notified. The order of the Supreme Court means parliament goes back to what it was before the Speaker’s ruling.
“Basically, you have tied the hands of Mr Speaker and Parliament, that shows that it is interfering with the work of legislature. There is a constitutional crisis,” he said in an interview with Accra-based TV3.
In a ruling on Friday, a five-member panel presided over by Chief Justice Gertrude Sackey Torkornoo, held that declaration goes against the rights of the affected MPs’ constituents.
It followed an ex parte application filed by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) MPs led by Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, the Majority Leader in Parliament.
By this decision, the vacant seats have been reinstated.
The court has also ordered Parliament to file its statement of case and memorandum of issues within seven days.
Other members of the panel were Justices Mariama Owusu, Kwame Adibu Asiedu, Ernest Yao Gaewu, and Yaw Darko Asare.
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