Former Speaker of Parliament, Professor Mike Ocquaye has disagreed with Haruna Iddrisu’s petition seeking the current Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin to declare some four seats vacant.
According to Professor Mike Ocquaye, the call to declare the seats of the NPP MPs who are going to contest as independent candidates is not for the NDC MP to make rather, the call should come from the leadership of the New Patriotic Party.
Prof. Mike Ocquaye said that it is wrong for Haruna Iddrisu to take such an action because “he has no locus” in the matter with respect to the NPP MPs.
Professor Mike Ocquaye explained, “he’s wrong because the benefit is not his. The law does not stand to his inurement. He has no locus because he doesn’t belong to the party involved. So, it is the NPP that can trigger the removal of the MPs,” he told Joynews.
He further stated that, the position of the constitution is clear on who has the right to make such calls adding that, it does not lie in the premise of the former minority leader, Haruna Iddrisu.
“And that’s why I’ve given you the background of that legal provision. It is to correct a certain mischief that can be operated against political parties,” he added.
According to him, Haruna Iddrisu can only focus on just one of the MPs from his party whose seat is amongst the four seats he wants to be declared vacant.
Prof Oquaye expressed confidence in Speaker Bagbin’s ability to make an apt ruling on the matter.
“The current speaker is a very experienced man. He’s one of the fundamentals of Parliament. I believe that he will go by the way that I’m talking about,” he added.