4 MPs cease to be lawmakers as Speaker Alban Bagbin declares their seats vacant

This decision indicates that the current hung parliament, which has given the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) a slight advantage thanks to support from Independent MP Andrew Amoako Asiamah, will now shift in favour of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).

The MPs affected by this ruling include: Cynthia Morrison, the current NPP MP for Agona West constituency in the Central Region, who has filed to run as an independent candidate, Kwadwo Asante, the current NPP MP for the Suhum constituency in the Eastern Region, who has also filed to run as an independent candidate, Andrew Asiamah Amoako, currently an independent MP for the Fomena constituency in the Ashanti Region, who has filed to run in the upcoming election as a candidate for the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and Peter Kwakye-Ackah, Amefi Central, NDC.

The decision followed an official request made to the Speaker by Haruna Iddrisu, a Member of Parliament from the NDC. This ruling comes after extensive discussions and arguments from both the Majority and Minority sides of the House regarding the petition presented by the former NDC Minority Leader.

“Honourable members it is important to point that the speaker is called upon by the standing orders of parliament particularly order 18 to inform the house of the occurrence of a vacancy of the seat of a member under clause (1) b to e, g and h of article 97 of the constitution. Accordingly, I will proceed to inform the house that by the notification of the polls the following MPs are by their actions vacated their seats in parliament,” Bagbin ruled on Thursday, October 17.

The petition specifically addressed three NPP MPs and one from the NDC, citing Article 97 (1)(g) of the Constitution. This provision states that an MP must vacate their seat if they leave the political party under which they were elected or if they attempt to continue serving as an independent candidate.

The situation has ignited considerable debate within Parliament, underscoring the ongoing political tensions between the ruling party and the opposition. During a contentious parliamentary session on Tuesday, Speaker Bagbin recognised the seriousness of the issue and requested an additional two days to provide a comprehensive ruling.