Mr Bagbin said in a statement that the Supreme Court decision “is, to put it mildly, not only an absurdity but a reckless incursion into the remit of Parliament.”
He stated, ” “The trend of unanimity is also concerning. It does not contribute to the exploration and expansion of our legal jurisprudence.”
“The President’s [Akufo- Addo’s] remark is naive and unfortunate. It only serves to exacerbate the schism between the Executive and the Legislature “He continued.
The Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday that a Deputy Speaker presiding over proceedings in Parliament has the right to vote on issues and is also counted as part of the quorum for making decisions in Parliament.
A seven-member panel of the Supreme Court ruled unanimously that, based on a true and proper interpretation of Articles 103 and 104 of the 1992 Constitution, a Deputy Speaker who also happens to be a member of Parliament does not lose his right to participate in decision making in Parliament, according to Graphic Online’s Emmanuel Ebo Hawkson, who was in the courtroom.
In light of the decision, the Supreme Court ruled that the budget was validly passed on November 30, 2021, when Mr Joe Osei Owusu, the first Deputy Speaker, counted himself as part of the quorum.
In addition, the court ruled that order 109(3) of Parliament’s standing orders, which prohibited a deputy speaker presiding from voting, was unconstitutional.
The decision came after the court dismissed a writ filed by a law lecturer, Justice Abdulai, who was challenging Mr Owusu’s decision to be counted as part of the quorum to pass the budget.
Justices Jones Dotse, Nene Amegather, Prof Ashie Kotey, Mariama Owusu, Lovelace Johnson, Clemence Honyenuga, and Yonny Kulendi rendered a unanimous decision.
