Parliament has denied claims that the Speaker Alban Bagbin has been invited to meet President Akufo-Addo to negotiate a settlement in respect of his earlier ruling that declared four seats vacant.
Parliament in a statement said that there is no iota of truth in the insinuation in the circulated video.
“The attention of Parliament has been drawn to a video circulating on social media insinuating that the Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin has been invited to a meeting with the President to negotiate a settlement in respect of the pronouncement by the Rt. Hon. Speaker on Thursday, 17th October, 2024 in response to a call by the Minority Leader to declare the seats of four (4) Members of Parliament vacant.
“Parliament states without any equivocation that there is no iota of truth in the insinuation in the circulated video. The video in question was taken on 4th July 2024, when the Rt. Hon. Speaker led a delegation to present the maiden democracy cup to the President. The attempt to wrongly label the video and twist facts to impugn the integrity of the Rt. Hon. Speaker and Parliament is not only disingenuous but unfortunate.
“The general public is hereby advised to ignore the attempt to hoodwink them into believing what has never transpired and treat the narrative with the contempt it deserves,” the statement said.
The Speaker had, on Thursday, October 17, declared four seats in Parliament vacant.
The constituencies and the lawmakers are:
2. Kwadwo Asante, the current NPP MP for the Suhum constituency in the Eastern Region, who has also filed to run as an independent candidate.
3. Andrew Asiamah Amoako, currently an independent MP for the Fomena constituency in the Ashanti Region, who has filed to run in the upcoming election as a candidate for the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP).
4. Peter Kwakye Ackah (Amenfi Central), NDC.
The former Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu had petitioned the Speaker to declare the seats vacant by invoking Article 97 (1)(g) of the Constitution which stipulates that a lawmaker must vacate their seat if they leave the party under which they were elected or attempt to remain in Parliament as an independent candid ate. The Majority Leader Afenyo-Markin had filed a suit at the Supreme Court against the petition filed by Haruna Iddrisu.
But the Supreme Court on Friday, October 18 directed Parliament to recognise and allow the four MPs to continue to serve as lawmakers until the case is determined.