Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu has opposed the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin’s ruling on the seat of the Dome-Kwabenya MP, Sarah Adwoa Safo.
Speaker Bagbin made a ruling that the report of the Privileges Committee, which recommended Adwoa Safo’s removal from office, is not final.
According to him, the ruling must be debated and adopted or rejected by the plenary.
Addressing a press conference after the ruling on Wednesday, Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu said the Speaker has misinterpreted the law of the land.
He said the ruling flouts Article 97 of the law which he quoted as justification for the Speaker’s determination.
Article 97 (1) of the constitution stipulates that “a member of Parliament shall vacate his seat in Parliament
a. Upon a dissolution of Parliament; or
b. If he is elected as Speaker of Parliament; or
c. If he is absent, without the permission in writing of the Speaker and he is unable to offer a reasonable explanation to the Parliamentary Committee on Privileges from 15 sittings of a meeting of Parliament during any period that Parliament has been summoned to meet and continues to meet.”
The Majority Leader insisted that the plenary should not be made to determine the outcome, adding that “the Parliamentary committee is the one that is charged with the authority to make that determination as contained in 97(1) C.”
“The Constitution says that the determination should be made by the Committee. That is why I am saying that wherever the Speaker is importing this from, with the greatest respect he is totally wrong with his understanding of the Constitution … that is not the language contained in the Constitution,” he said.
He also challenged the Speaker for quoting Article 177.
He said “Article 177 (1) should tell us that the report from the Committee should come by way of information to us. It is not for plenary to make any determination whatsoever on it. The Speaker is totally wrong.”
According to him, the Speaker has given two contradictory rulings on a single issue making the ruling inconsistent.
For this reason, Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu said his side will file a motion against the Speaker’s ruling.
