The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has accused the Judiciary and the Executive of undermining parliament’s authority.
His comments follow a recent Supreme Court ruling, which upheld a previous decision blocking him from declaring four parliamentary seats vacant.
This development has intensified the debate over the constitutional boundaries of the Speaker’s powers and the judiciary’s influence in parliamentary matters.
Addressing the media in Accra on Wednesday, November 6, Speaker Bagbin raised serious concerns over what he described as interference and a growing power struggle between the arms of government, accusing the Judiciary and Executive of encroaching on legislative independence.
He warned that this interference could destabilize Ghana’s democracy.
“The current issues may be likened to power play, and have the potential to undermine our democracy and the authority of Parliament. Its outcome will subvert constitutional powers and the democratic system, which Ghanaians have toiled and sacrificed their lives for.
“Recent acts of the judiciary and I see them as interference to the workings of Parliament. It is becoming increasingly clear that the Judiciary and Executive are seemingly colluding to weaken Parliament.”
It is recalled that the Supreme Court dismissed Mr Bagbin’s application to overturn the apex court’s ruling that suspended his declaration of four seats vacant.
The application filed by counsel for the Speaker, Thaddeus Sory, wanted a declaration that the Supreme Court had no jurisdiction to entertain a suit brought before it by the Majority Leader in Parliament and the MP for Effutu, Alexander Afenyo-Markin.
However, the Supreme Court disagreed and threw out the application by the Speaker at the hearing on Wednesday, October 30.
Chief Justice Gertrude Torkonoo, who chaired a panel of five justices, explained, among other things, that the Speaker was aware that the jurisdiction of the apex court had been invoked to interpret the constitutional provision on the matter. Still, Mr. Bagbin ignored it and went ahead to deliver a ruling on October 17.
Additionally, the Supreme Court indicated that declaring the seats vacant would deny hundreds of thousands of Ghanaians in the affected constituencies a voice in Parliament until January 7, 2025, when the next legislature commences.
Again, the apex court explained that the decision by the Speaker would cause substantive damage to the four MPs involved as well as the constituents.
Furthermore, the Supreme Court pointed out that the potential disruption to parliamentary activities could affect the emoluments of the MPs.