By Jeremiah Nutsugah
Bawku Central Member of Parliament Mahama Ayariga has announced that National Democratic Congress (NDC) MPs will take the Majority position in Parliament when it reconvenes on Tuesday, October 22. However, this plan is contingent on Speaker Alban Bagbin not issuing a contrary directive.
Speaker Bagbin declared four parliamentary seats—Amenfi Central, Fomena, Suhum, and Agona West—vacant on October 17 due to MPs switching affiliations or running independent.
However, the Supreme Court overturned Bagbin’s decision on October 18, granting a stay of execution after Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin’s request.
In an interview on Citi FM, Ayariga emphasised that MPs are bound by the Speaker’s rulings, not the Supreme Court’s stay of execution on Bagbin’s earlier decision declaring four parliamentary seats vacant.
The NDC caucus will follow Bagbin’s initial ruling until further notice.
Ayariga criticised the Supreme Court’s intervention, arguing it should not interfere in Parliamentary affairs due to the constitution’s clear separation of powers.
“We will act according to Bagbin’s communiqué, and unless he instructs otherwise, we will follow his current decision. If he informs us of the court’s ruling, we will act accordingly, but our duty is to listen to the Speaker, not the court,” he said.
“The Supreme Court’s involvement is unnecessary. This issue should have gone to the High Court, not the Supreme Court,” he said.
