Alban Bagbin Rules Like a Dictator; He Cannot Be President – Maurice Ampaw
Maurice Ampaw labels Bagbin's letter to the Supreme Court as "useless" and "incompetent"
- Maurice Ampaw warns that Bagbin could be cited for contempt for rejecting the Supreme Court's ruling
- He characterizes Bagbin as an authoritarian leader
- Maurice Ampaw suggests that leaders like Bagbin should be held accountable for their actions
Private legal practitioner Maurice Ampaw has criticized Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin for issuing a letter to reject the Supreme Court’s stay of execution ruling regarding his declaration of four vacant seats.
Speaking on the ‘Ghana Se Sen’ program on Lawson TV/Radio, Lawyer Ampaw described Bagbin’s letter to the Supreme Court as both useless and incompetent.
According to him, the letter that Alban Bagbin asked the Clerk of Parliament to write is the most useless and incompetent document. “The letter is informally referred to as a ‘love letter’ because it has no legal basis,” he said. “In law, the letter Alban Bagbin asked the Clerk of Parliament to write is a love letter because a letter from the Supreme Court has no coat of arms; it is just a mere letter, whereas a writ carries the coat of arms and the authority of the state,” he explained to Kwame Tanko
He continued, “Bagbin’s letter to the Supreme Court is incompetent. It serves only to demonstrate to the public that he is Alban Bagbin, and that he has power and will not accept the Supreme Court writ. Meanwhile, he has let his lawyer respond to it and will go to court tomorrow.”
He indicated that Bagbin could be cited for contempt for rejecting the ruling of the Supreme Court.
Lawyer Ampaw described Bagbin as an authoritarian leader, a dictator, and asserted that, for that reason, he cannot be president. He stated that Bagbin rules like a dictator.
Background
peaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, formally dismissed a Supreme Court writ concerning the interpretation of Article 97(1) of the 1992 Constitution.
The Deputy Clerk of Parliament revealed that the writ, served by three bailiffs on September 16, 2024, was improperly executed, violating Article 117, which protects MPs from court processes during official duties.
Bagbin stressed that the bailiffs’ actions contravened a circular from the Judicial Secretary aimed at safeguarding parliamentary members from legal actions while performing their roles.
Parliamentary leadership expressed deep concern over this issue, asserting that it undermines the independence of Parliament and reaffirms their commitment to upholding constitutional safeguards.
On October 18, the Supreme Court issued a stay on Bagbin’s earlier ruling that four parliamentary seats were vacant, allowing the affected MPs to continue representing their constituencies.
The stay remains in effect until a final decision is made by the Court, following an appeal from Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo Markin.
