Justice Abdulai: Bagbin Won't Defy Supreme Court Ruling

Justice Abdulai says he doubts any act of defiance from Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, in relation to the recent Supreme Court ruling that declared four parliamentary seats vacant. According to Abdulai, it is unlikely that Bagbin will flout the stay of execution by the court.

In an interview with Channel One TV's Nana Tuffour Boateng, Justice Abdulai maintained that in all likelihood, the Speaker will have no option but to just comply with the Supreme Court's order. The ruling temporarily upholds Bagbin's earlier decision to declare the seats of four MPs vacant for switching political affiliations or declaring intent to contest elections as independent candidates.

"When properly served, I do not see a possibility of the Speaker disobeying the orders of the Supreme Court," Abdulai said. He thought, however, that any compliance failure might result in a constitutional crisis. 

A previous ruling had declared the four affected MPs to have vacated their seats after a motion filed by former Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu had invoked constitutional provisions against MPs intending to contest independent elections to resign from their current party-affiliated seats. Affected are Cynthia Morrison, MP for Agona West; Kwadjo Asante, Suhum; Andrew Amoako Asiamah, Fomena; and Peter Kwakye Ackah, Amenfi Central.

In response, Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin applied to the Supreme Court for a stay of execution last Friday, October 15. The Court, therefore, granted a stay of execution to stop anything being done to suggest the vacancy of the MPs' seats until otherwise legally clarified.