Martin Kpebu, a private legal practitioner, has urged Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin to resist the Supreme Court order that overturned his decision to declare four parliamentary seats vacant.
Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin contended that Speaker Bagbin had overreached his constitutional authority by declaring the seats empty without judicial scrutiny, and the seven-member panel, led by Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, rendered the decision in a 5-2 majority.
MPs Andrew Asiamah (Fomena), Peter Kwakye-Ackah (Amenfi Central), Kwadwo Asante (Suhum), and Cynthia Mamle Morrison (Agona West) were among those impacted; they either ran as independents or changed their party allegiance prior to the 2024 elections.
Kpebu asserted in an interview that if Bagbin were to overturn the court’s ruling, it might be a potent declaration in favor of Parliament’s independence and fortify democratic administration.
He said that Bagbin’s initial ruling was consistent with Parliament’s jurisdiction to supervise its own operations and cautioned that unbridled court meddling could erode the separation of powers.
“He has shown that he is not happy. He says there is a collusion between the judiciary and the executive. That is the Speaker’s words, right? Yeah, so this decision will reinforce the Speaker’s views that he doesn’t agree. And so you are going to expect some pushback from the Speaker. Yeah, and it is good for our democracy.
“The speaker needs to push back because when he does, it will force us to think we need judicial independence. That is what this decision underscores. The judiciary has become a bit weak. The Supreme Court is that weak. So we need a constitutional review”.
Source:Mybrytfmonline.com/Joseph Asare
