The Supreme Court is poised to issue a landmark ruling today, Monday, 11 November 2024, on the contentious decision to declare four parliamentary seats vacant.

The case, spearheaded by Alexander Afenyo-Markin, leader of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary caucus, contests Speaker Alban Bagbin’s decision to declare the seats vacant without court intervention or the initiation of by-elections.

Mr. Afenyo-Markin asserts that Speaker Bagbin exceeded his constitutional mandate by unilaterally ruling on parliamentary vacancies.

At the centre of the dispute is Speaker Bagbin’s interpretation of the 1992 Constitution regarding the grounds for vacating seats in Parliament.

Speaker Bagbin declared four seats vacant, citing alleged constitutional breaches by the MPs involved, which he argued justified their removal to preserve parliamentary standards.

Mr. Afenyo-Markin, however, contends that the Speaker’s decision bypasses the judiciary’s authority to interpret constitutional matters, thereby overstepping the bounds of parliamentary powers.

“Only the judiciary holds the power to interpret the Constitution in such cases,” he argued, further stating that Speaker Bagbin’s declaration “disenfranchises the constituents in those areas,” effectively depriving them of representation in Parliament.

Following Mr. Afenyo-Markin’s legal challenge, the Supreme Court issued an injunction to halt any further action on the vacated seats until a final verdict could be reached.

Speaker Bagbin responded by filing a motion to reverse the court’s injunction, arguing that the suspension of his declaration interfered with his duties as Speaker and was within his rights to safeguard parliamentary integrity.

The Supreme Court dismissed Speaker Bagbin’s motion, upholding the injunction and setting the stage for today’s decisive judgment, which could redefine the constitutional limits of the Speaker’s authority and affirm the judiciary’s role in overseeing parliamentary matters.