Vacant Seats Saga: Attorney-General Files Statement of Case at Supreme Court
Kenneth Ashong 
Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Godfred Dame has filed his statement case at the Supreme Court on an action initiated by Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin.
The Member of Parliament for Effutu Constituency filed a writ to challenge the Speaker of Parliament’s decision to oust four Members of Parliament (MPs) who declared their intent to run as independent candidates ahead of the December 2024 election.
In a Statement of Case filed on Tuesday, October 22, 2024, the AG submitted among other things that, the Constitution does not mandate the vacation of a seat by an MP who files to contest a future election as an independent candidate or under a different party ticket.
The AG argued that an MP’s seat can only be vacated during the current term if they switch parties or become independent within the lifespan of the existing Parliament.
“The filing of nomination by a sitting MP to contest a future parliamentary election on the ticket of a political party, when he had been elected for the life of the current Parliament as an independent candidate, does not result in a vacation of seat," he argued.
