Parliament has suspended the consideration of the nomination of ministers and deputy ministers of state by President Nana Akufo-Addo.
This decision stems from an interlocutory injunction filed at the Supreme Court by the MP for South Dayi, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor.
In his final address to the house before adjourning sitting on Wednesday, March 20, 2024, the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, said the lawsuit makes it impossible for Parliament to vet and process the new ministers nominated by President Akufo-Addo.
“Honourable members, I also bring to your attention, the receipt of a process from the courts titled Rockson-Nelson Etse K. Dafeamekpor vs. the Speaker of Parliament and the Attorney-General ( Suit no. J1/12/2024) which process was served on the 19th of March 2024 and an injunction motion on notice seeking to restrain the speaker from proceeding with the vetting and approval of the names of the persons submitted by the president until the provisions of the constitution are satisfied.
“Hon. members, in light of this process, the house is unable to continue to consider the nominations of the president in the ‘spirit of upholding the rule of law’ until after the determination of the application for an interlocutory injunction by the Supreme Court,” he explained.
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This action by Speaker Bagbin also follows a directive from the presidency, which issued a cease and desist letter to Parliament, restraining them from transmitting the bill on Human Sexual Rights and Family Values for President Akufo-Addo’s assent.
The presidency cited an ongoing interlocutory application at the apex court as grounds for their decision.
But reacting to this, Speaker Alban Bagbin described the development as a threat to Ghana’s democracy.
He argued that the transmission of the LGBTQ+ bill to the presidency does not, in any way, constitute contempt of court.
“The ongoing scenario poses a grave threat to our legislative authority and, by extension, the democratic principles we strive to uphold. The implications of such executive actions extend far beyond the immediate legislative items at hand. They erode the foundational checks and balances that our forebearers painstakingly established to ensure a vibrant and functioning democracy.”
“The Parliament of Ghana will comply with the existing legal framework and reject the attempts by the Executive Secretary of the President, through his contemptuous letter, to instruct the clerk to Parliament, an officer of Parliament whose position is recognizably under the constitution. We shall not cease and desist!”