Minority Will Boycott Parliament Until After December Elections – Nii Lante Vanderpuye
NDC’s minority caucus commits to an election focus, rejecting calls to return to Parliament following a Supreme Court ruling on vacant seats
- The NDC minority caucus, led by Nii Lante Vanderpuye, plans to stay out of Parliament until after December election
- This decision follows a Supreme Court ruling overturning Speaker Bagbin's declaration of four seats as vacant
- The minority caucus argues returning would waste taxpayer money and is prioritizing election preparations
Edwin Nii Lante Vanderpuye, MP for Odododiodoo and a prominent figure in the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has declared that the minority caucus will abstain from Parliament until after the December elections.
This stance follows a Supreme Court ruling on November 12, 2024, which overturned Speaker Alban Bagbin’s declaration of four parliamentary seats as vacant—a decision challenged by Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin.
The core of the dispute lies in Speaker Bagbin’s interpretation of Article 97(1)(g) of the Ghanaian Constitution, which he used to justify the vacant seat declarations. Afenyo-Markin contended that the Speaker overreached, bypassing the necessary judicial process to prevent by-elections.
Although Bagbin argued parliamentary decisions should not be under judicial review, the court ultimately ruled against him.
In response, Vanderpuye criticized the majority caucus for what he called “unnecessary expenditure” of taxpayer funds, asserting that the minority caucus’s efforts are now centered on the elections.
“They should avoid wasting taxpayer money by insisting we return to Parliament prematurely,” Vanderpuye remarked.
He also highlighted that the composition of Parliament, whether NDC or NPP has the majority, would be apparent only after their post-election return.
The NDC minority maintains that it is not up to the Supreme Court or the NPP to decide the parliamentary majority.
