Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin has called for a special sitting of Parliament on Thursday, November 7, 2024, invoking Article 112(3) of Ghana’s 1992 Constitution and the Standing Orders of Parliament. The announcement, released via Parliament’s official social media channels on October 1, comes as the country faces a high-stakes Supreme Court case challenging Speaker Bagbin’s declaration of four vacant parliamentary seats.
The ongoing court case has drawn considerable attention, especially following the Supreme Court’s recent decision to deny an objection by Bagbin’s legal team, which sought to remove Justice Yao Gaewu from the panel. Bagbin’s counsel, Thaddeus Sory, argued that Justice Gaewu’s alleged ties to the New Patriotic Party (NPP) could bias his judgment in the case. However, Chief Justice Gertrude Torkonoo dismissed the request as “misconceived,” emphasizing that the matter is a constitutional issue rather than a partisan one.
In parallel, Attorney General Godfred Yeboah Dame has filed a motion to strike out certain sections of Bagbin’s affidavit, calling portions “scandalous” and irrelevant to the case. The court has indicated that this objection will be addressed in its final judgment.
The upcoming parliamentary session is expected to take place against this backdrop of legal contention, as the Speaker and Members of Parliament continue to address the broader implications of the disputed seats.
