The Supreme Court has halted the enforcement of Speaker Alban Bagbin’s ruling, which declared four parliamentary seats vacant. The affected MPs will continue their duties until a final ruling is delivered, temporarily reversing the shift in parliamentary leadership dynamics.
The Supreme Court has ordered a halt of implementation on Speaker Alban Bagbin’s ruling, which declared four parliamentary seats vacant.
Parliament has therefore been instructed to recognise and allow the four MPs to fully represent their constituencies and carry out their official duties.
This directive will remain effective, not for the 10 days initially requested by the applicants, but until the Supreme Court delivers its final ruling on the case.
The application to stay the Speaker’s decision was filed by New Patriotic Party (NPP) Members of Parliament, who sought the Court’s intervention to halt the enforcement of the ruling that would have affected three of their colleagues and one from the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
The application was filed ex parte, meaning that neither Speaker Bagbin nor Parliament was joined to the case.
This allowed the Court to consider the NPP MPs’ request without requiring the participation or response of the Speaker or other parliamentary authorities at this stage.
The case was heard by a panel of Supreme Court justices presided over by Chief Justice Gertrude Torkonoo.
Representing the NPP MPs were lawyers Paa Kwesi Abaidoo and former Attorney General Joe Ghartey.
They successfully argued for the stay, which temporarily siezes the Speaker’s ruling pending further legal proceedings.
The Court’s decision effectively keeps the four MPs’ seats intact for the time being.
As a result, the NDC, previously in the Minority, now claims a majority with 136 seats compared to the governing NPP’s 135 seats, prompting leadership shifts in Parliament.
But the Supreme Court’s ruling resets parliamentary leadership and dynamics to its former state.
