Leader of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Parliamentary Caucus, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson has lauded Speaker Alban Bagbin’s decision to adjourn Parliament sine die on Tuesday.
Speaking after the adjournment, the Ajumako-Enyan-Esiam MP reiterated that the NDC Caucus firmly sees itself as the Majority in Parliament.
“We want to make something very clear. NDC MPs are in the Majority in Ghana’s Parliament. We’ve made our position clear, and we are not changing it. We are fortified by the Constitution and Standing Orders of this House,” Dr Ato Forson said.
The Speaker’s decision to adjourn indefinitely came in response to a Supreme Court ruling last Friday, which overturned his earlier declaration that four parliamentary seats—Amenfi Central, Fomena, Agona West, and Suhum—were vacant due to breaches of Article 97(1)(g) and (h) of the 1992 Constitution.
Article 97(1) states: “A member of Parliament shall vacate his seat in Parliament — (g) 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 (h) if he was elected a member of Parliament as an independent candidate and joins a political party.”
Speaker Bagbin, while noting that the House had enough MPs present to continue business, said the numbers were insufficient for decision-making, prompting the adjournment.
On Tuesday, October 22, Speaker Bagbin made the adjournment of the House in a formal communication to the House, during which the NDC Caucus occupied the Majority side of the Chamber, while the NPP Caucus retreated to their offices in the Job Six Hundred Building Block of Parliament House.
Before adjourning the House, the Speaker said although the House on Tuesday had the numbers to conduct business, they were definitely far above one-third of the Members of Parliament, but the numbers were not sufficient for them to make decisions.