Prolific Lawyer and Historian, Kwame Anokye Frimpong has chided the Chief Justice, Her ladyship Gertrude Torkonoo for gradually destroying the democracy of Ghana.
In an interview with Accra F.M, Lawyer Anokye bemoaned the recent development in the Parliamentary impasse which was given ruling by the Supreme Court on November 12, 2024 for the NPP to be given their majority status. He shared that, by logic, the M.P’s whose seats were declared vacant forfeited it once they lost their primaries and embarked on an independent journey, according to the political parties regulations.
According to him, the Supreme Court’s ruling denotes that, when a member of a political party decides to go independent in the next election, the speaker of Parliament has no right to declare that member vacant which he believes contravenes the existence of Article 97 in the constitution.
Lawyer Anokye also mentioned that, the Chief Justice per his understanding of Article 97, erred in her ruling against Speaker Bagbin’s declaration. He shared that, based on the ruling, it is clear the Chief Justice based her decision on the 1960 constitution which allowed the cross carpet operations where a Member of Parliament after winning elections on the ticket of a political party can switch parties and still hold the mantle of representation.
If this decision is to go by, then Lawyer Anokye fears, there is a gradual destruction of Ghana’s democracy by the Chief Justice
