By Iddi Yire/Elsie Appiah-Osei
Accra, Oct 18, GNA – The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Parliamentary Caucus will on Tuesday, October 22, initiate moves to takeover the Leadership of the House, Dr Cassiel Ato Baah Forson, the Minority Leader, has said.
Dr Forson announced this at a press conference at Parliament House in Accra moments after Speaker Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin’s declaration of four Parliamentary seats vacant.
The seats are Amenfi Central, Fomena, Agona West and Suhum Constituencies, for breaches of Article 9(1)(g) and (h) of the 1992 Constitution by the Members of Parliament (MPs).
Article 97(1) states: “A member of Parliament shall vacate his seat in Parliament — (g) if he leaves the party of which he was a member at the time of his election to Parliament to join another party or seeks to remain in Parliament as an independent member; or (h) if he was elected a member of Parliament as an independent candidate and joins a political party.”
The affected Members of Parliament (MPs) include Mr Peter Yaw Kwakye-Ackah, MP for Amenfi Central, who was elected on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), but had filed with the Electoral Commission (EC) to contest the upcoming 2024 parliamentary elections as an independent candidate.
Mr Andrews Amoako Asiamah, Independent Member of Parliament for Fomena, and currently serving as the Second Deputy Speaker, but had filed to contest the 2024 parliamentary elections on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Mr Kwadjo Asante, Member of Parliament for Suhum, who was elected on the ticket of the NPP, but had filed with the EC to contest the upcoming 2024 parliamentary elections as an independent candidate and Madam Cynthia Mamle Morrison, MP for Agona West, who was elected on the ticket of the NPP, but filed with the EC to contest the upcoming 2024 parliamentary elections as an independent candidate.
The Speaker’s ruling was a formal response to the House in relation to a matter of significant parliamentary and constitutional importance, which was brought to the attention of the House on Tuesday, October 15, by Dr Cassiel Ato Baah Forson, the Minority Leader and NDC MP for Ajumako/Enyan/Essiam, pursuant to Order 93 of the Standing Orders of Parliament.
At the inauguration of the Eighth Parliament of the Fourth Republic of Ghana on January 7, 2021, the composition of the House was NPP 137 MPs and NDC 137, with one Independent Member of Parliament, the MP for Fomena, Mr Andrew Amoako Asiamah, who was elected as the Second Deputy Speaker and chose to sit with the NPP, thus making the NPP the Majority Caucus in Parliament.
However, following the Speaker’s ruling, the composition of Ghana’s legislature is now 135 NPP MPs and 136 NDC MPs.
Dr Forson noted that his side of the House with its 136 MPs was now in the new Majority in Parliament.
He reiterated that the NDC Parliamentary Caucus would be electing a Second Deputy Speaker of the House on Tuesday, October 22.
He said the NDC Caucus was in Parliament to do the business of the people of Ghana; declaring that “we are here to begin the process to reset our country”.
“Our country has gone through very difficult times. In fact, oftentimes, the people of Ghana have blamed Parliament for not standing up for the people of Ghana. But obviously, we can’t blame the NDC minority because we are not having a working majority.”
“Today, we have a working majority and we begin the process to reset our country. We want to use this opportunity to assure the people of Ghana that the NDC majority will stand for the people of Ghana, any day, any time. We will begin the process to move to the majority side and elect a new second Deputy Speaker on Tuesday,” Dr Forson said.
“We assure the people of Ghana that we will also take over the majority of the committees of Parliament and we will do the work in a way that will benefit the people of Ghana. We have gone through so much, so much as a country and this cannot continue.”
Dr Forson thanked the Speaker for standing with the people of Ghana, respecting the Constitution of the Republic of Ghana, respecting precedence and the Standing Order of the Parliament of Ghana.
GNA