Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin has called on Speaker Alban Bagbin and the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) to accept the Supreme Court’s recent ruling, which declared the Speaker’s decision to vacate four parliamentary seats unconstitutional.
The Supreme Court’s 5-2 majority decision upheld the principle of democratic governance, according to Mr. Afenyo-Markin, who addressed the press following the ruling. He stressed the importance of respecting the rule of law and the democratic framework established in 1992.
“This is a moment for all of us to rally around the choice we made in 1992—democracy. Democracy requires decency, and that’s the path the NPP majority caucus took to uphold the law,” he said. “We expect our colleagues on the other side [NDC], including Mr. Speaker, to respect this outcome so that we can move forward as a nation.”
The Efutu MP further emphasized Ghana’s democratic reputation in Africa, saying, “All we have is the peace of the country. All we have is our democracy. In West Africa and across Africa, Ghana shines as a beacon of democratic values.”
He lauded the Court’s ruling as a significant step in Ghana’s democratic journey, urging all parties to honor it. Mr. Afenyo-Markin dismissed the notion of partisan rivalry, underscoring that the decision was purely a matter of constitutional interpretation rather than an NPP versus NDC conflict.
On October 17, Speaker Bagbin had declared four parliamentary seats vacant—three held by NPP MPs and one by an NDC MP—shifting Parliament’s power balance. This move gave the NDC a claimed majority, with 136 seats against the NPP’s 135, and the opposition quickly asserted itself as the new majority.
However, the Supreme Court issued a stay on Speaker Bagbin’s decision the following day, October 18, allowing the four MPs to retain their seats until a final judgment was reached. Despite this order, the NDC caucus maintained its newly claimed majority status.
After hearing from all parties involved, the Supreme Court ultimately ruled that Speaker Bagbin’s declaration was unconstitutional.
