Oscar Asante-Nnuro, a private legal practitioner, has said that Wednesday’s ruling by the Supreme Court, giving Deputy Speakers the right to vote and be counted when presiding in Parliament, does not in any way interfere in parliamentary practice.
His comment comes after the Minority Leader in Parliament, Haruna Iddrisu, described the Supreme Court’s declaration as a travesty of justice in relation to parliamentary practice.
“Our attention has been drawn to a very disappointing ruling of the Supreme Court of Ghana which more or less amounts to a judicial interference in time-tested parliamentary practice and established conventions,” Iddrisu told journalists in Parliament on Wednesday (9 March 2022).
“Everywhere in the world in civilised democracies, including the United Kingdom, the presiding officer’s vote is discounted, so it is not for nothing that Article 102 provides that a person presiding shall have no original nor casting vote.
“The Supreme Court – to put it aptly, this ruling is judicial support for E-Levy, for a struggling economy in distress, and judicial support for the restoration of a matter they have said is constitutional.
“It is repugnant, but what can we do? This is a travesty of parliamentary justice,” the Minority Leader declared.
Inconsistent
However, reacting to the development, Asante-Nnuro said the Supreme Court has the mandate to rule on any issue that impinges on the constitution of Ghana.
“So, Parliament is not excluded from being supervised in their daily business if it is inconsistent with the provisions of the constitution.
“The Supreme Court is clothed with jurisdiction to make pronouncement on such thorny issues,” he said.
Depoliticise ruling
Lawyer Asante-Nnuro called on Ghanaians to look at the ruling objectively.
“For me, we are yet to sight the full ruling, but if you ask me personally, for [the Supreme Court judges] to have decided unanimously tells you that it is also time-tested, that our judges have proved time and again that they are up to the task.
“My advice that I will throw out there is that, let’s not try and put on political spectacles in trying to dissect and analyse whatever has been handed down.
“There is nothing anybody can do than to comply with what the apex court of the land has said,” Asante-Nnuro declared.
Fred Dzakpata
Asaase Radio 99.5 – tune in or log on to broadcasts online
99.5 in Accra, 90.7 in Ho, 98.5 in Kumasi, 99.7 in Tamale, 89.5 in Tarkwa, 100.3 in Cape Coast and 106.9 in Walewale
Follow us on Twitter: @asaaseradio995
#AsaaseRadio
#TheVoiceofOurLand
