Majority Leader goes to Supreme Court over moves to declare seats of independent candidates vacant

Source:myjoyonline.com

Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin has announced that he has filed an injunction application at the Supreme Court in response to the Minority’s efforts to declare the seats of Independent candidates vacant.

This development follows the announcement by former Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu that his side of the house intends to invoke Article 97 (1)(g) of the Constitution to vacate the seats of three Majority MPs and one NDC MP.

The provision in question states that an MP shall vacate their seat if they leave the party they were elected under or seek to remain in Parliament as an independent candidate.

Haruna Iddrisu says he has already written to the Speaker to declare the four parliamentary seats vacant.

If the motion succeeds, the NDC, currently at 137 MPs, would become the Majority party, significantly shifting the balance of power in the House.

Read also: Calls to vacate seats of MPs running as independent candidates legitimate – Constitutional Lawyer
Parliament is currently composed of 138 Majority MPs and 137 Minority MPs.

Alexander Afenyo-Markin says he does not want to be drawn into the Precedent set in 2020 when then NPP MP, Andrew Amoako Asiamah’s seat was declared vacant.

He believes the Supreme Court should be allowed to settle this matter.

A Constitutional lawyer Justice Abdulai says there is minimal legal leeway for the four Members of Parliament (MPs) who risk losing their seats after declaring their intention to run as independent candidates.

According to him, the constitutional provision to declare their seats vacant is clear and leaves very little wiggle room for ambiguity.