Majority May Go To Court For Ruling On Adwoa Safo’s Absenteeism – K.T Hammond

Adansi Asokwa Member of Parliament, K.T Hammond, who disclosed this on Accra-based FM news analysis programme, The Big Issue, said the court’s involvement may be the best option for the caucus, following the Speaker of Parliament’s decision to defer his ruling on Adwoa Safo.

“It seems to me that ultimately we will end up in the Supreme Court on this matter,” the MP said.

The Privileges Committee had delivered a split decision on the fate of Adwoa Safo who has been absent in Parliament beyond the mandatory 15 days without permission.

According to a copy of the report, the Majority wants the seat declared vacant while the Minority jumped to the defence of the absentee MP, saying she still needed to be given a chance to explain herself.

The Majority MPs on the committee cited Article 97 (1) (c) of the 1992 Constitution and the Court of Appeal decision in the case of Professor Stephen Kwaku Asare v the Attorney General & 3 Ors, in this regard.

Mr. Hammond rehashed the Majority MPs’ position, saying the Privileges Committee could have delivered a ruling without the Speaker’s involvement.

“My point was that 97 (1) c does not look at things as it is. It was not a matter for the plenary to decide.
It is for the Privileges Committee to make their pronouncement and then forward it to the Speaker.”

But Ranking Member on the Privileges Committee, Kweku Ricketts-Hagan disagreed with his position.

“You have to take 97 1 (c) with 1125 which says when the seat is declared vacant, the clerk of Parliament should inform EC so the bye-election happens.”

“Until the seat is declared vacant, we ,the privileges committee, have no authority to inform the clerk of Parliament to inform the EC that Adwoa Safo’s seat is vacant. It is based on that, that we say we do not have the authority to declare the seat vacant,” he explained.