Edwin Nii Lante Vanderpuye, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) MP for Odododiodoo, has announced that the minority caucus will not return to Parliament until after the December elections.
This decision comes in response to a recent move by the majority caucus to recall Parliament following the Supreme Court’s ruling, which overturned Speaker Alban Bagbin’s declaration of four seats as vacant. On November 12, 2024, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of a challenge brought by Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin, arguing that Speaker Bagbin had overstepped his authority in bypassing judicial review to declare the seats vacant under Article 97(1)(g) of Ghana’s Constitution.
Previously, the Supreme Court had placed an injunction on Bagbin’s ruling. While Bagbin argued that parliamentary decisions fall outside judicial purview, the court ultimately ruled against him, invalidating the declaration of vacant seats.
In an interview with Channel One TV, Vanderpuye criticized the majority caucus for what he called “unnecessary spending” of taxpayer money, asserting that the NDC minority caucus would focus on election preparations and resume parliamentary duties only after the December polls.
“They should not waste taxpayers’ money by asking us to come to Parliament in the next three weeks. We are focused on the elections, and we will only return after the elections,” Vanderpuye affirmed.
Vanderpuye emphasized that determining the majority or minority in Parliament is based on the actual numbers in the house. He argued that neither the NPP nor the Supreme Court should define the majority or minority for Ghana’s Parliament.
