Speaker Caught In Illegality

The Speaker of Parliament has been asked to crack the whip on the three Independent Members of Parliament (MP), who crossed carpet and contested the primaries of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP).

In a petition issued, last Monday and signed by George Spencer Quaye, Alex Doe and Eric Kwame Akomanyi, to Mrs. Joyce Adeline Bamford Addo, the petitioners argued that the three lawmakers flouted article 97 (1) (h) of the Constitution of the Ghana and so must be shown the exit with immediate effect.

Meanwhile, “The Herald’s” independent checks have shown that out of the three MPs, only the Nkwakwa legislator showed up in Parliament, last Monday, but was not driven out by the First Deputy, Speaker Edward Doe Adjaho, who presided over the votes and proceedings, including debate on the Constitutional Instrument CI. 78.

The issue about the beleaguered MPs’ was first raised in Parliament by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) MP for Shai-Osudoku, David Tetteh Assuming, who backed his position by citing Article 97 (1) (h) of the Constitution which states that; “A member of Parliament shall vacate his seat in Parliament if he was elected a Member of Parliament as an independent candidate and joins a political party”

Parliament was expected to go on break yesterday, to resume in 13 days. It is unclear whether the law will, indeed, be respected by its makers as was done in the past to Prof. Wayo Seini, Kennedy Agyapong, Eric Amoateng, among others, who in one way or the other infringed on Constitutional provisions for Parliamentarians.

The three are former boss of the Driver and Vehicle Licenses Authority (DVLA) Joe Osei-Owusu, Seth Adjei Baah popularly known as Shaaba and Nana Yaw Ofori Kuragu, as MP’s for Bekwai, Nkwakwa and Bosome-Freho respectively.

The three found their way to Parliament in 2009, as independent candidates having failed to do so on the ticket of the NPP at the 2008 elections in their respective constituencies.

There were fierce protests for and against the three personalities in the 2008 by NPP supporters. In Bekwai for example, the protest turned bloody as party members, especially the youth demonstrated injured and destroyed properties worth millions of Ghana Cedis, all in support of the then defeated candidate Joe Osei-Owusu, at the primaries.

To test their popularity, the three contested the election as independent candidates and overwhelmingly, they booked their seats in Ghana’s August House.

Per the Constitution of Ghana, since they entered into Parliament as independent Candidates, they needed to resign as such anytime they decided to contest on any party’s ticket so that by-elections could be held in their various constituencies.

Interestingly enough, as law makers, the MP’s without any regard for the Constitution, on September 22 contested NPP’s last leg of primaries in Bekwai and Bosome-Freho in the Ashanti Region and Nkwakwa in the Eastern Region to represent the party.

While Mr. Osei-Owusu won the primaries to be on the NPP ticket, Mr. Adjei Baah and Mr. Ofori Kuragu lost their primaries, bringing to an end their wish to stay in Parliament, at least for the next four years.

The petitioners, who described themselves as citizens of Ghana, are calling on the Speaker of Parliament to declare the three seats vacant and move ahead to expel the three with immediate effect to consolidate Ghana’s democracy which has been admired worldwide.

The petition, which is one of several calls made to the Speaker, was copied to both Majority and Minority leaders, Director of Public Affairs (Parliamentary), the under fire MP’s and the media.

Meanwhile, the MP’s in question have failed to abide by the law by resigning, insisting they have done nothing unlawful.

They indicated that they would vacate their seats should they be asked to do so by the Speaker, but in the absence of that, they would remain in their seats.