NDC caucus in Parliament officially declares itself majority despite SC ruling

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) caucus in Parliament, led by Majority Leader Hon. Cassiel Ato Forson, has officially declared itself the Majority Caucus, citing the ruling by Speaker Rt. Hon. Alban Bagbin on vacant parliamentary seats.

This declaration comes despite a Supreme Court decision on October 18th that blocked the implementation of Speaker Bagbin’s ruling, which had declared the seats of four Members of Parliament vacant.

At a press conference on October 20th, Dr. Forson affirmed the NDC’s determination to assume majority status, outlining the events that led to this shift in the balance of power in the 8th Parliament.

Dr. Forson stated that he informed the Speaker on 15th October that four Members of Parliament, including Hon. Peter Yaw Kwakye-Ackah (Amenfi Central), Hon. Andrew Asiamah Amoako (Fomena), Hon. Kwadjo Asante (Suhum), and Hon. Cynthia Mamle Morrison (Agona West), had filed to contest the upcoming 2024 parliamentary elections as independent candidates, or on a different party’s ticket, in violation of Article 97(1)(g) and (h) of the Constitution.

Dr. Forson cited the constitutional provision, which mandates MPs to vacate their seats if they leave the party they were elected to or switch to another party.

According to him, the Speaker, after confirming the facts with the Electoral Commission’s notice of polls, declared the four seats vacant, a decision Dr. Forson described as “a lawful exercise of his responsibility derived from the 1992 constitution and the Standing Orders of Parliament.”

He contended that the NPP group in Parliament is now the Minority Caucus, holding 135 seats as compared to the NDC with 136 seats.

Dr. Forson expressed the NDC’s determination to safeguard its new majority status, stating, “We will jealously protect our new majority status and will not bow, retreat, nor surrender our lawfully earned position.”

He also assured Ghanaians that the NDC would use its majority to address issues affecting the public, including introducing private members’ bills to remove the e-Levy and betting tax, which have been burdensome to businesses and individuals under the NPP government.

He further pledged the NDC’s commitment to reversing what he described as the “Akufo-Addo/Bawumia mess” and restoring Ghana’s economic stability. “The people of Ghana can count on us,” he affirmed.