Lawyer Kwame Adofo has dismissed the idea of seeking a review of the Supreme Court’s recent ruling on the vacant parliamentary seats, stating that it will not alter the outcome.
Speaking on ABC Midday on Tuesday, November 12, 2024, Adofo emphasized that even if the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, were to request a review, it would make no difference.
“In terms of the 5-2 decision, the surprise is that there was a dissenting opinion, which was based on jurisdictional grounds. However, the court’s majority ruling stands,” he said, explaining that with seven justices on the panel, adding only two more members for a review would not change the result. “Even if two were to side with the Speaker, it would still be 5-4. So there’s no point in going for a review,” Adofo concluded.
Adofo’s comments came in the wake of a Supreme Court ruling that sided with Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin, overturning Speaker Bagbin’s decision to declare four parliamentary seats vacant.
Lead counsel for Afenyo-Markin, Joe Ghartey, also reacted to the ruling, stating that “The Supreme law is the constitution. Everybody else is under this constitution.” Ghartey praised the decision, asserting that “democracy has won, constitutionalism has won.”
The ruling was delivered by a seven-member panel, led by Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, who noted that the full details and reasons for the decision would be made available by Wednesday, November 13.
The dispute arose from Speaker Bagbin’s interpretation of Article 97(1)(g) of the Ghanaian Constitution, which he argued justified declaring the four seats vacant.
