Political analyst Joshua Jebuntie Zaato has expressed confidence that Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin will respect the Supreme Court’s ruling, which temporarily blocks his directive to declare four parliamentary seats vacant.
Speaking on the Asaase Breakfast Show (ABS) on Tuesday (22 October), Zaato said the Speaker faces a critical decision—whether to comply with the court’s stay of execution or to defy it, risking political turmoil.
“The Speaker then has a choice,” Zaato noted. “To say that, ‘Look, there’s my ruling; a force higher than me has ruled against me. I will obey the Supreme Court and go.’”
“The speaker has a choice to do that or he could say, ‘Supreme Court, I hear you; I defy you’ and put the country into chaos.”
Zaato emphasised that the office of the Speaker, and indeed Parliament itself, operates under the constitution.
“Parliament is a creature of the constitution and below the constitution because the constitution is supreme,” he said.
Zaato also cautioned that any defiance from the Speaker should be met with calm from the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
“If he does that, my advice to the other side would be [to] just move away; let’s go—because there are going to be other rulings.”
Setting such a precedent, Zaato warned, could lead others to challenge court orders whenever they disagree.
“The same Speaker is before the Supreme Court now in the LGBTQ [case],” Zaato pointed out.
“If you defy this, then how do you expect the same Supreme Court to rule on your case? And whom would you expect to obey that ruling?”
Despite the potential for disorder, Zaato is convinced that Bagbin will ultimately respect the court’s decision.
“The Speaker will not be able to defy a Supreme Court ruling. He may rail against it; he may speak against it,” he said.
“But I don’t think he wants to be the first Speaker that the whole world is watching you say, ‘I’m defying a direct Supreme Court order.’ I don’t think he wants to be the first person to do that,” he concluded.
Asaase Broadcasting Company airs on Asaase 99.5 Accra, Asaase 98.5 Kumasi, Asaase 99.7 Tamale, Asaase 100.3 Cape Coast, AsaasePa 107.3 (Accra).
Affiliates: Bawku FM 101.5, Bead FM 99.9 (Bimbilla), Mining City Radio 89.5 (Tarkwa), Nandom FM 101.9, Nyatefe Radio 94.5 (Dzodze), Sissala Radio 96.3 (Tumu), Somuaa FM 89.9 (Gushegu), Stone City 90.7 (Ho) and Wale FM 106.9 (Walewale).
Listen online: asaaseradio.com, Sound Garden and TuneIn.
Follow us:
X: @asaaseradio995, @Asaase985ksi, @Asaase997tamale, @asaase1003, asaasepa1073
Instagram: asaaseradio99.5, asaase985ksi, asaase100.3, asaase99.7tamale, asaasepa107.3
LinkedIn: company/asaaseradio995. TikTok: @asaaseradio99.5
Facebook: asaase99.5, asaase985ksi, Asaase100.3, asaase99.7, AsaasePa107.3.
YouTube: AsaaseRadioXtra.
Join the conversation. Accra: call 020 000 9951/054 888 8995, WhatsApp 020 000 0995. Kumasi: call 059 415 7985 or call/WhatsApp 020 631 5260. Tamale: call/WhatsApp/SMS 053 554 6468. Cape Coast: call/WhatsApp 059 388 2652.
#AsaaseRadio
#AsaasePa
#TheVoiceofOurLand
