Kobina Tahir Hammond, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament for Adansi Asokwa, has announced plans to cite Speaker Alban Bagbin for contempt of court in the ongoing legal dispute over four vacant parliamentary seats.
This comes after Speaker Bagbin insisted on upholding the declaration of vacant seats for MPs Cynthia Morrison (Agona West), Kojo Asante (Suhum), Andrew Asiamah (Fomena), and Peter Kwakye Ackah (Amenfi Central), despite the Supreme Court issuing an injunction to suspend his decision.
The controversy erupted when Speaker Bagbin declared these seats vacant under Article 97(1)(g) of the Constitution. The NPP, led by Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin, disagreed with the Speaker’s interpretation and challenged his decision in court. In response, the Supreme Court temporarily halted Bagbin’s declaration until further judicial review.
Despite this, Speaker Bagbin went ahead with the adjournment of Parliament on Thursday, November 7, 2024, citing the absence of a business report from the Business Committee. Bagbin emphasized that without the Committee’s report, there was no agenda to proceed with parliamentary business. The National Democratic Congress (NDC) MPs, however, continued to occupy the Majority side of the House, claiming it as their rightful position.
In reaction, K.T. Hammond criticized Speaker Bagbin’s actions, pointing out that the Supreme Court had already ruled on the matter. He expressed his dissatisfaction with the Speaker’s stance, stating, “We will cite him for contempt.”
The ongoing legal battle continues to divide Parliament, with the NPP accusing the Speaker of overstepping his constitutional authority, while Bagbin has voiced concern over the increasing reliance on the judiciary to settle matters within Parliament.
At a press conference on Wednesday, November 6, 2024, Bagbin expressed concern that this reliance on the judiciary is eroding the authority and respect of the legislative body.
“The courts are replete with debates and proceedings of Parliament. Most worrying is, these proceedings are initiated by some Members of Parliament, even leaders of Parliament who are to know better. Parliamentarians who are supposed to be loyal to Parliament and not the Supreme Court run to the Supreme Court at the slightest opportunity to use the Supreme Court to undermine Parliament. This might be one of the reasons Parliament and Members of Parliament are not respected and treated with disdain,” he said.
