Hon. John Abdulai Jinapor, the Member of Parliament for Yapei-Kusawgu, has criticized the Majority Leader, Hon. Alexander Afenyo-Markin, for rushing to the Supreme Court, suggesting it stems from fear of losing his position as Majority Leader.
According to Jinapor, when the New Patriotic Party (NPP) benefited from a similar situation in 2020, they were satisfied with the outcome, but now, politics is at play in the current scenario.
He recalled how, in 2020, the former Speaker of Parliament, Mike Oquaye, ruled that the Fomena MP, after filing to contest as an independent candidate, could no longer represent his seat as an NPP member. The NPP, at that time, accepted this decision under Article 97 of the constitution.
Jinapor noted that the same article is now being applied in a situation involving an NDC MP, but the circumstances have not changed.
Jinapor emphasized that the concern now is political. If the current Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Alban Sumana Bagbin, rules similarly to Oquaye’s 2020 ruling, the NPP’s majority in Parliament could turn into a minority.
This shift, according to Jinapor, is the real reason behind the rush to the Supreme Court, not the constitutional matter itself.
He expressed his surprise at how the Majority Leader would seek to block Parliament from performing its duties through a Supreme Court injunction, calling it unnecessary if it did not threaten the parliamentary majority.
Story by: Onokwafo Yaw Asiedu/Ahotoronline.com
