A leading member of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), Kwame Jantuah, has called on the National Democratic Congress (NDC) members of parliament to return to their minority position in the House.
His appeal comes after the Supreme Court ruled that the declaration of four seats vacant by the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, was unconstitutional.
According to Mr. Jantuah, important bills, including the temporary budget for the handover of governance on January 7, 2025, must be passed before this Parliament rises.
To that end, he urged the Speaker to recall Parliament to consider these bills.
“The Supreme Court has made the decision; let the sleeping dog lie. Important bills must be passed before parliament rises. One of the bills is the temporary budget for handover, so I will plead with the speaker to recall parliament and let the sleeping dog lie.
“Let parliament reopen, NDC, you have made your point, Ghanaians who will support you will support, those who will not, will not do it, so please go back to your seats and let Parliament work. Mr. Speaker, recall parliament,” he said on TV3.
He further warned the New Patriotic Party (NPP) legislators not to celebrate the Supreme Court decision to anger their colleagues in the NDC.
“The NPP shouldn’t now walk into parliament and celebrate, that arouses a lot of dissension,” he said.
In its full judgment on Thursday, November 14, the Supreme Court held that a Member of Parliament (MP) can only be considered to have vacated their seat if they change their political identity and remain in Parliament under the new identity.
The court clarified that Articles 97(1)(g) and (h) of the Constitution are applicable only to the current term of Parliament. These provisions do not apply to future terms, such as when an MP contests elections under a different political affiliation.
The court stressed that an MP’s seat is vacated if they switch parties within Parliament while continuing to serve as a member of the new party.
Similarly, an independent MP who joins a political party will have to vacate the seat originally held as an Independent Member.
The court’s judgment indicates that the constitutional provisions in question are specific to the present term of Parliament, emphasising that they do not address an MP’s political choices for future election cycles.