Respect Supreme Court Ruling; Do Not Be Nation-Wreckers or Saboteurs – Kyei Mensah-Bonsu to Speaker Bagbin and NDC MPs
Former Majority Leader Urges Parliament to Respect Court's Authority Following Dispute Over Vacant Seats Decision
- Kyei Mensah-Bonsu calls for compliance with the Supreme Court’s ruling on the vacant seats
- He warns Speaker Bagbin and NDC MPs against undermining the judiciary and sabotaging the nation
- He Highlighted a 1993 precedent in Parliament to reinforce the importance of respecting court rulings
Former Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, has called on Speaker of Parliament Rt. Hon. Alban Bagbin and the NDC Members of Parliament to respect and comply with the Supreme Court’s ruling on the vacant seats.
The Supreme Court recently overturned Speaker Bagbin’s decision to declare four parliamentary seats vacant, siding with Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin’s challenge. In a 5-2 decision on Tuesday, the seven-member panel, led by Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, ruled in favor of Afenyo-Markin, with the promise of a detailed explanation to follow.
The case stemmed from Speaker Bagbin’s interpretation of Article 97(1)(g) of the Ghanaian Constitution, which he used to declare the seats vacant. Afenyo-Markin had argued that Bagbin exceeded his authority by bypassing judicial review, preventing by-elections in the affected constituencies.
Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu emphasized that failure to comply with the ruling would make Speaker Bagbin and the NDC MPs “nation wreckers and saboteurs.” Speaking on the Lawson TV/Radio Ghana Se Sen Morning Show, he clarified that the Supreme Court’s involvement was not an interference with parliamentary proceedings, but rather a necessary legal interpretation.
”Afenyo-Markin’s appeal to the Supreme Court was for an interpretation of the law, not for a ruling on parliamentary proceedings, and that the Court has ruled against the Speaker’s declaration. He further clarified that NPP MPs running as independent candidates in the 2024 election should not be seen as having left the party,” he told Kwame Tanko
Recalling a similar incident in 1993, Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu referenced a dispute between Alhaji B.A. Fuseini and Moses Nabinga in Parliament.
He argued that Speaker Bagbin selectively used one precedent to defend his stance on the vacant seats, despite other relevant cases.” he recalled
He concluded that the Supreme Court’s ruling is sound and just, affirming that Parliament must respect the Court’s authority, as it is the final interpreter of constitutional matters.
