Speaker Bagbin must respect Supreme Court ruling on vacant seats brouhaha — Dame

Attorney General Godfred Yeboah Dame has called on the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, to respect the latest Supreme Court’s ruling regarding his controversial declaration of four parliamentary seats as vacant.

In a five-two ruling, the Apex court concluded that the Speaker’s decision was unconstitutional.

Chief Justice Gertrude Esaaba Torkonoo, presiding over the case, noted that a comprehensive explanation of the court’s reasoning will be published on Wednesday, November 13.

In an interview following the ruling, Mr. Dame expressed surprise over the Speaker’s initial action and emphasized the importance of respecting the Supreme Court’s ruling in maintaining the rule of law and democratic order.

“The majority [of the Supreme Court justices] is a very big majority, clear majority — five to two,” Dame remarked. “Whenever the court speaks, it speaks as a clear and emphatic body. That decision of the court… must be respected.”

Dame emphasized that the rule of law demands compliance with Supreme Court rulings, noting that a refusal to honor such a decision would “result in a degeneration of our society and a distraction of our democratic order.”