Social commentator and activist, James Kwabena Bonfeh, commonly referred to as Kabila, has expressed serious concern regarding recent decisions by the Speaker of Parliament, myjoyonline.com has reported.

According to him, the Speaker of Parliament is a big threat to the democracy of the country.

"By law, we have 275 seats in Parliament and nobody can vary that number to 271, not even the Supreme Court. The number is a given that we have 275 seats in Parliament. So, what Ato Forson did for the Speaker to wrongly declare those seats vacant amounted to endangering the country's democracy and that is what Speaker Bagbin has become. He is a danger to our democracy," he stated. He said this during a discussion on Peace FM on October 23, 2024.

Kabila further condemned the recent management of parliamentary affairs, particularly the ongoing controversy between the NDC and NPP caucus.

The recent tensions stem from an announcement made by the Member of Parliament for Tamale South, Haruna Iddrisu, that his caucus intended to invoke Article 97 (g) to demand that the seats of three New Patriotic Party MPs and that of an MP from the National Democratic Congress caucus be declared vacant.

Haruna Iddrisu’s reaction stemmed from the nominations filed by MPs for Agona West and Suhum, who are members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), to contest in the 2024 parliamentary election as independent candidates.

The independent MP for Fomena also filed his nomination to contest in the election on the ticket of the NPP, and the Amenfi Central MP, a member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), also filed his nomination to contest as an independent candidate.

However, Article 97 [1(g) & (h)] of the 1992 Constitution states that “a member of Parliament shall vacate his seat in Parliament if he leaves the party of which he was a member at the time of his election to Parliament to join another party or seeks to remain in Parliament as an independent member; or if he was elected a member of Parliament as an independent candidate and joins a political party.”

In reaction to this, the Speaker of Parliament declared four seats vacant, resulting in the minority becoming the majority in Parliament.

However, the Speaker’s ruling was stayed by the Supreme Court.

The NDC caucus pledged to disregard the decision of the Supreme Court to stay the ruling of the Speaker, declaring that they will follow the directives of the Speaker.

The decision of the Supreme Court led to the indefinite adjournment of parliamentary activities by the Speaker on October 22, 2024.

The situation has intensified into a significant political and legal standoff.

Kabila believes that Bagbin’s adjournment of the house amid the rising tensions has worsened the issue.

According to him, the actions of the Speaker are destabilising Parliament and, in turn, the country's democratic institutions.

He stressed that the Speaker's responsibility is to uphold the law and facilitate smooth parliamentary proceedings, but Bagbin's recent decisions appear to be intensifying divisions.

He urged Ghanaians to remain vigilant and called on leaders to respect the rule of law, warning that the Speaker's conduct could have serious consequences for Ghana’s democracy.

RAD/ ADG


Meanwhile, catch up on the latest episode of The Lowdown on GhanaWeb TV with Etsey Atisu as he caught with Philip Atawura, who just returned from a successful kidney transplant in India