I thought it was a joke – Atta Akyea on petition to declare 4 seats vacant
Samuel Atta Akyea, the Member of Parliament for Abuakwa South, dismissed the petition by former Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu regarding the vacant parliamentary seats as a joke. According to him, the statement was made in a political context, driven by the excitement of the campaign. In an interview on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem, Mr. Atta Akyea said he didn’t take the petition seriously at first, believing it was merely “political talk” and not something that would escalate into a major issue.
Haruna Iddrisu’s petition sought to declare the seats of four MPs vacant due to their decision to cross carpets ahead of the upcoming election. He invoked Article 97 (1)(g) of the Constitution, which mandates that MPs vacate their seats if they leave the political party under which they were elected or choose to remain in Parliament as independent candidates.
Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin initially ruled in favor of the petition, declaring the seats vacant, a move that temporarily shifted the balance of power in Parliament, making the National Democratic Congress (NDC) the Majority with 136 seats, while the New Patriotic Party (NPP) held 135.
However, the Supreme Court intervened on Friday, suspending the Speaker’s declaration. The five-member panel, led by Chief Justice Gertrude Sackey Torkornoo, ruled that the decision infringed on the rights of the affected MPs’ constituents.