The National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary minority, led by MP Edwin Nii Lante Vanderpuye, has declared its intent to abstain from parliamentary proceedings until after the December elections.
This decision comes in response to the Supreme Court’s recent ruling, which overturned Speaker Alban Bagbin’s declaration of four seats as vacant—a move initially intended to prompt by-elections in those constituencies.
On Tuesday, November 12, 2024, the Supreme Court sided with Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin, who argued that Speaker Bagbin exceeded his authority by declaring the seats vacant without judicial review, citing Article 97(1)(g) of the Ghanaian Constitution. Bagbin’s initial decision had aimed to open by-elections in the affected seats, a step now thwarted by the court’s ruling.
In an interview with Channel One TV, Vanderpuye expressed the minority caucus’s frustration with what he termed “unnecessary spending” on a parliamentary recall initiated by the majority caucus. “They should not waste the taxpayers’ money by asking us to come to Parliament in the next three weeks. We are not coming,” he stated, underscoring the caucus’s focus on preparing for the election rather than returning to Parliament prematurely.
Vanderpuye further clarified that the NDC would re-engage in parliamentary business after the polls, insisting that their presence will be determined by the post-election numbers. He argued that the question of majority status in Parliament is based on actual membership numbers, not judicial or external interpretation.
“It is not for the NPP or the Supreme Court to define for us who is majority or minority in Ghana’s Parliament,” he added. “We have our own procedures for determining who holds the majority or minority status.”
The NDC minority’s stance signals an ongoing tension between the two parties over parliamentary procedure and constitutional authority. Whether this boycott will impact upcoming legislative business remains to be seen, but for now, the minority caucus is setting its sights on the December elections as the priority.
Source: OccupyGh.com
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