Chief Justice Getrude Torkornoo
In a significant legal move, the Legal Department of Parliament has been formally served with a ruling from the Supreme Court to stay Speaker Alban S.K. Bagbin’s decision declaring four parliamentary seats vacant.
A Supreme Court panel, led by the Chief Justice, Gertrude Torkornoo issued the directive in response to an ex parte application filed by Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo Markin.
The ruling effectively overturns the Speaker’s earlier declaration, reinstating Parliament to its previous composition before the controversial decision that had swung the majority status in favor of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
Despite this legal injunction, the NDC caucus within Parliament has taken a defiant stance, adamantly asserting their refusal to adhere to any directives from the court.
They contend that it is illegitimate for the judiciary to intervene in the internal workings of Parliament, vowing to safeguard their claimed Majority status staunchly.
With diverging positions emerging between the judiciary and legislative branches of government, a heightened climate of constitutional and political tension lingers within Ghana’s parliamentary arena.
By Nii Ocansey