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The Supreme Court of Ghana has granted a stay of execution on Speaker Alban Bagbin’s ruling, which declared four parliamentary seats vacant. The ruling followed an application by New Patriotic Party (NPP) Members of Parliament, who requested the Court to intervene and suspend the Speaker’s decision. This decision would have impacted three of their colleagues and one MP from the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
The NPP MPs filed their application ex parte, meaning neither Speaker Bagbin nor Parliament was involved in the case at this stage. This allowed the Court to review the application without requiring input or a response from parliamentary authorities.
A panel of justices, led by Chief Justice Gertrude Torkonoo, and including Justices Mariama Owusu, Kwame Adibu Asiedu, Ernest Yao Gaewu, and Yaw Darko Asare, heard the case and ruled in favor of the stay. The decision effectively keeps the four MPs’ seats intact pending further legal action.
The MPs affected by Speaker Bagbin’s ruling are Cynthia Morrison (Agona West), Kwadjo Asante (Suhum), Peter Kwakye Ackah (Amenfi Central), and Andrew Asiamah (Fomena), who either ran as independent candidates or changed party affiliations ahead of the 2024 elections.
As a result of the Speaker’s initial ruling, the NDC claimed a majority in Parliament, holding 136 seats compared to the NPP’s 135, prompting shifts in parliamentary leadership. However, the Supreme Court’s stay of execution now leaves the status of these four MPs unresolved for the time being.
