In a detailed critique of the ongoing political drama surrounding the Speaker of Parliament’s authority and the calls for Parliament’s immediate recall, Thaddeus Sory, a private legal practitioner has criticized the Effutu Member of Parliament, Hon. Alexander Afenyo Markin, accusing him of a misguided cry for power.
The Managing Partner at Sory Law Firm, who was also the lawyer for the Speaker of Parliament in the controversial Afenyo Markin V. the Speaker of Parliament & Attorney-General case, in his critique, drew a sharp parallel between the situation and the age-old fable of the bat that urinates heavenward.
Mr Sory’s vivid analogy and critique underscored the futility of a political strategy that persists despite inevitable failure and serves only to harm its proponents.
He began by recounting a local Ghanaian story about a bat that urinates towards the heavens—a futile act that results in the bat’s misfortune. This allegory sets the tone for his analysis of the current situation in Ghana’s Parliament, where the Speaker’s decision to enforce a ruling, based on precedents set by his predecessor, has ignited controversy.
“The pronouncement is solidly anchored on a precedent set by the Speaker’s predecessor. When the Speaker’s predecessor applied the precedent, all and sundry accepted it without cavil. The present Speaker applied the precedent and the temperature in the country is taken to fever pitch because the leader of one caucus in Parliament is not happy with the same decision which was applied by the immediate past Speaker about four years back when he was in Parliament.
‘The Speaker is hauled to the most exalted court of the land [the Supreme Court]. The effect of the court action definitely disrupted Parliament’s sittings and Parliament has not been able to recover from it.”
Thaddeus Sory, Private Legal Practitioner and Managing Partner at Sory Law Firm
According to Mr Sory, this legal challenge, which many believed would resolve the impasse and lead to Parliament resuming its sessions, has instead created a political and procedural quagmire.
Dysfunctional Parliament amid Unresolved Issues
In a sharp dissection of the aftermath, Mr Sory critiqued the legal strategy that led to the court case, asserting that despite initially being hailed as a victory for democracy, the result has proven to be a “nightmare” for its proponents.
“The judgment, which was expected to clear the way for Parliament to resume, has not even been entered, and it has not been served on the Speaker,” Mr Sory noted, adding that the situation is a prime example of how political actions driven by personal grievances or a desire to demonstrate legal prowess can end up being self-defeating, leaving the country with a dysfunctional Parliament and unresolved issues.
Lawyer Thaddeus Sory went on to scrutinize the emerging calls for the Speaker to exercise his discretion and recall Parliament, asserting that the very same individuals who rushed to court to challenge the Speaker’s authority now demand his intervention, without offering any concrete, urgent business that needs to be addressed.
He highlighted the contradictions in their position, pointing out that their initial legal victory has failed to achieve its intended effect and that the Speaker is now being unfairly blamed for Parliament’s dysfunction.
“When the Supreme Court was touted as the institution to solve the problem, there was no urgent business. The Speaker who never went to court and actually cautioned that Parliament itself could resolve the problem and that the matter be left to Parliament to resolve is NOW the reason why Parliament is not sitting and he is responsible for ensuring that Parliament sits. Sisyphos take no responsibility for the part he plays in it.”
Thaddeus Sory, Private Legal Practitioner and Managing Partner at Sory Law Firm
A Shifting Narrative
The irony, Mr Sory noted, lies in the shifting narrative, asserting that those who once opposed the Speaker’s authority are now asking him to act with full power and discretion. “The Speaker, who was once the target of their legal challenge, is now seen as the final arbiter in matters concerning Parliament’s business—yet, the same individuals never acknowledged his authority until it suited their purpose,” he wrote.
Additionally, Lawyer Thaddeus Sory took on the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Godfred Yeboah Dame’s criticisms of the Speaker’s choice of legal counsel. He posited that Mr Dame’s complaints about the Speaker hiring a lawyer—while himself holding a monopoly over constitutional cases in Ghana—are described as “contradictory and self-serving.”
He pointed out that Mr Dame, who publicly declared his opposition to the Speaker, was in court demanding to represent him, despite the obvious conflict of interest. “Is it ethical for someone who is openly opposed to the Speaker to represent him in court?” Mr Sory asked.
He accused the Attorney-General of seeking to impose ethical standards on others while ignoring his own blatant hypocrisy. The final blow in Mr Sory’s critique is his condemnation of the ongoing legal and political manoeuvring that disregards the interests of the wider public and the larger democratic process.
He compared the situation to that of a “crybaby” who is never satisfied, constantly demanding attention while ignoring the larger consequences of their actions.
“Cry babies usually have their way when they have indulging parents. When their parents fail, they [cry babies] strangers will do it for them” Mr Sory remarked, adding that “this time the CRY BABIES should be told NO with a hard knock accompanied by a stern warning to immediately get weaned of such behaviour.”
He concluded by calling for an end to this destructive political theatre, urging politicians to recognize the long-term damage caused by their short-sighted power struggles.
Rather than continue to cry foul, he advised those involved to take responsibility for their actions and work towards solutions that prioritize the well-being of the nation, not just personal vendettas or ambitions.
In a moment of biting satire, he warned that those who persist in their futile, self-serving behaviour risk becoming like the mythological Sisyphus, forever pushing a boulder uphill with no end in sight.
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