By: Franklin ASARE-DONKOH
The 2024 flagbearer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr. John Dramani Mahama, says he would have resolved the current parliamentary impasse without resorting to the courts if he were the president.
Speaking during his fellowship with the clergy in the Ashanti regional capital Kumasi on Monday, November 11, 2024, Mr Mahama emphasized the importance of dialogue and negotiation in resolving political conflicts, suggesting that a more collaborative approach would have been more beneficial for all parties involved.
The flagbearer’s comments come amid a contentious legal battle surrounding the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin’s declaration of four parliamentary seats as vacant.
According to Mahama, such disputes should ideally be settled through dialogue rather than judicial intervention.
“If I were president, I would have sought to settle this matter through discussions rather than legal proceedings. I would have called both sides and settled it outside court. This is a political matter not a legal matter” he reiterated.
The dispute centers on Speaker Bagbin’s decision to declare the four parliamentary seats vacant, which has drawn criticism from the Majority caucus and others who argue that the Speaker overstepped his constitutional authority.
