Lawyer Godwin Edudzi Tamakloe, Director of Legal Affairs for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has expressed strong disapproval of the Supreme Court’s recent ruling that reversed Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin’s decision to declare four parliamentary seats vacant.
Tamakloe described the ruling as “extremely strange” and warned that Ghana’s democracy is at risk.
In an interview with Channel One TV, Tamakloe criticized the Supreme Court’s decision, stating, “This ruling is extremely strange.
“The motion for abridgement of time should not go ex-parte. It is not the case that the NPP in parliament has been stopped from working; they voluntarily staged a walkout,” he stated.
He also questioned the implications of the ruling, asking, “If the Speaker of Parliament instructs the Marshal of Parliament not to allow the four MPs’ presence in Parliament, what will the Supreme Court do?”
Tamakloe further warned, “Respectfully, we’re beginning to test the patience of Ghanaians, and this experiment called democracy is extremely dangerous.”
The Supreme Court’s ruling, delivered on Friday, October 18, 2024, reinstated the seats of four MPs — Cynthia Morrison (Agona West), Kwadjo Asante (Suhum), Andrew Amoako Asiamah (Fomena), and Peter Kwakye Ackah (Amenfi Central) after Speaker Bagbin declared them vacant.
A five-member panel, presided over by Chief Justice Gertrude Sackey Torkornoo, argued that the decision to declare the seats vacant infringed on the rights of their constituents.
Source: modernghana.com
