Speaker Bagbin Requests Justice Gaewu to Recuse Himself from Vacant Seats Case

Lawyers for Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, have called for the recusal of Justice Ernest Yao Gaewu from a case concerning four vacant parliamentary seats. The request, presented in court on October 30, was led by Bagbin’s counsel, Thaddeus Sory, who cited Justice Gaewu’s past affiliation with the New Patriotic Party (NPP). Sory highlighted that Justice Gaewu previously contested as an NPP parliamentary candidate in the Volta Region, potentially indicating a conflict of interest.

This case follows an October 18 ex-parte motion filed by Effutu MP and Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin, challenging Bagbin’s declaration of the four seats as vacant. The controversy arose when MPs from the NPP crossed party lines before the upcoming December 7 election, reducing the NPP’s parliamentary seats to 135 from 138 and effectively shifting them into the Minority.

In response, the Supreme Court issued a stay of execution on Speaker Bagbin’s ruling. Bagbin has since filed an appeal, arguing that the court misinterpreted the law by halting the implementation of his parliamentary ruling, which he claims was non-judicial.