The Leader of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) members in Parliament, Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, has publicly lauded the Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, for adhering to the directive of the Supreme Court in relation to the declaration of four parliamentary seats vacant.
The apex court had issued a stay of execution on the ruling that initially declared the seats vacant following an ex parte motion filed by Afenyo-Markin on behalf of the NPP caucus. Hon. Afenyo-Markin, who also serves as the Member of Parliament for Effutu, expressed his respect for the Speaker’s announcement to the House that he had been served the Supreme Court’s order and intended to comply.
“First of all, Mr. Speaker has yielded to the authority of the Supreme Court. That has been established and I respect him for that,” Hon. Afenyo-Markin stated in an interview with the media following parliamentary proceedings.
On the day of the announcement, Speaker Bagbin informed the House that he had been served with the Supreme Court’s order, signaling his intent to abide by the directive.
This development prompted the adjournment of the parliamentary sitting sine die (indefinitely), which Hon. Afenyo-Markin acknowledged as part of the Speaker’s strategy to ease the political tension in the chamber.
“Mr. Speaker tells me he wants to do some consultation because he thinks that there is tension in the House and he is going to adjourn sine die.
“What he hasn’t done is to tell us how many days he is going to need for his consultation. So, I will wait patiently upon him so that I know the next step to take in consultation with the caucus.”
Majority Leader, Hon. Alexander Afenyo-Markin
Hon. Afenyo-Markin also emphasized the importance of clarity on the Speaker’s timeframe for consultations. He expressed the NPP caucus’ readiness to await further communication from the Speaker before determining their next course of action.
This reflected a commitment to maintaining order and avoiding unnecessary escalation of the situation in Parliament.
Avoiding the Roll Call: A Strategic Move
In his commentary, Hon. Afenyo-Markin raised concerns about the Speaker’s decision to avoid conducting a roll call, a procedure typically used to establish the number of MPs present in the chamber.
According to Afenyo-Markin, the Speaker skipped the roll call, opting instead to proceed with the votes and proceedings, followed by the reading of formal communication from the Chief Justice on the Supreme Court’s order.
“Mr. Speaker is a very smart politician; he has a way he does his political mischief. “
So, he avoided the roll call, then he came to do the votes and proceedings, then he ran to read the formal communication from the Chief Justice.”
Majority Leader, Hon. Alexander Afenyo-Markin
He argued that had the Speaker truly intended to establish quorum, he would have conducted a roll call to determine the presence of MPs in the chamber.
When asked by reporters how he expected a roll call to be conducted given the conspicuous absence of NPP members in Parliament, Afenyo-Markin maintained that the roll call should have been carried out regardless.
“You don’t need everybody in the chamber before you do a roll call. So, you do the roll call to establish the numbers, that’s why the Clerk at Parliament will do the roll call.
“And the question that must be asked is why did the Speaker avoid the roll call?”
Majority Leader, Hon. Alexander Afenyo-Markin
Hon. Afenyo-Markin’s remarks suggested that he believes the Speaker’s decision to avoid the roll call was a deliberate effort to circumvent certain parliamentary procedures. However, he reiterated his respect for the Speaker’s overall handling of the matter, particularly his decision to yield to the Supreme Court’s authority.
As consultations continue, all eyes will remain on Parliament to see how this legal and political impasse is resolved. The NPP caucus, under Afenyo-Markin’s leadership, will be closely monitoring the Speaker’s next steps, as the nation awaits clarity on the future of the four contested parliamentary seats.
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