By Iddi Yire
Accra, Nov 07, GNA – Mr. Alexander Kwamina Afenyo-Markin, the Majority Leader, has assured Ghanaians that his side of the House will be engaging Speaker Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin in coming days, following his adjournment of the House indefinitely.
The Speaker attributed his decision to adjourn the House indefinitely to lack of business for the House to transact and the absence of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Caucus in the Chamber.
The meeting was a response to a request for a recall by the NPP Caucus, the first request was dated 22nd of October, and the second one dated 24th of October 2024, both pursuant to Article 1123 of the Constitution and Order 53 of the Standing Orders of Parliament.
Mr. Alexander Kwamina Afenyo-Markin, addressing the Parliamentary Press Corps on the stairs of the main entrance to the Chamber of Parliament, after the adjournment, said: “We look forward to engaging Minister Speaker in the next few hours or days, we pray that he does the needful.
“We will continue to rely on the law to get the right things done,” Mr. Afenyo-Markin stated.
He also called for an end to the partisan politics in the Chamber, which was affecting Government Business; saying “Parliament is a Chamber for decent people, Parliament is a Chamber for tolerant democrats, Parliament is a Chamber for people who want nation building without taking advantage of situations.”
Touching on the adjournment, Mr. Afenyo-Markin said the items captured in their first and second memoranda to the Speaker for the House to be recalled from recess was the business agenda of the day.
Mr Afenyo-Markin, who presented to the press Madam Cynthia Mamle Morrison, Member of Parliament (MP) for Agona West, 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, as still being a Member of the NPP, questioned why the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Caucus moved to the right hand side of the Speaker, knowing that it was the place of the NPP Caucus.
He cautioned that if care were not taken, the budget for the first three months of 2025, could be affected if the House did not sit to approve government business.
He also noted that what the NDC Caucus was doing was to prevent the approval of some major Bills like the Free Senior School Bill, adding that should they succeed in doing so, parents would suffer.
The disagreement between the NPP Caucus and the NDC Caucus over which side of the House constitutes the Majority in Parliament follows Speaker Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin’s declaration of four Parliamentary seats vacant for breach of Article 97(1)(g) and (h).
The four Parliamentary seats declared vacant by the Speaker on Thursday, October 17, 2024, 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) are Mr. Peter Yaw Kwakye-Ackah, MP for Amenfi Central, who was elected on the ticket of the 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 has filed with the EC to contest the upcoming 2024 parliamentary elections as an independent candidate.
The Speaker’s ruling which, he made 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 then Minority Leader and NDC MP for Ajumako/Enyan/Essiam, pursuant to Order 93 of the Standing Orders of Parliament.
This development has left the NPP Caucus with 135 MPs and the NDC Caucus with 136 MPs.
However, the Supreme Court on Friday, October 18, set aside the Speaker’s ruling and directed him to allow the four affected MPs to participate in the business of the House.
The nation’s top court has set November 11, to give its ruling on the matter.
GNA