A political analyst and research fellow at the Center for Democratic Development (CDD), Prof. John Osae-Kwapong, has urged the courts to swiftly resolve the ongoing dispute concerning the Speaker of Parliament’s authority to declare certain parliamentary seats vacant.
His remarks follow the recent indefinite adjournment of parliamentary proceedings after the Supreme Court issued a stay on Speaker Alban Bagbin’s decision to declare four seats vacant.
Prof. Osae-Kwapong warned that if the issue is not resolved promptly, it could lead to a cycle of repeated adjournments, disrupting governance and stalling critical legislative work.
He stressed the need for a speedy resolution to prevent further delays in parliamentary processes, which could affect the approval of key bills and the overall functioning of government.
“With how things are playing out, I believe there is an urgency for the court to settle not on the procedure manner which the Speaker of Parliament gave reasons for why they declared those seats vacant. But the bigger question to Article 97 (g)(h) means.
“Even though parliament is out of session indefinitely, the rules also allow that within seven days they can recall parliament.
“The question is, would it become a see-saw, call and adjourn? So, this is where sooner rather than later, for the sake of good governance, government business still needs to run and hopefully, we can find a solution to this governance crisis,” he stated.
