Justice Abdulai, a private legal practitioner who was the petitioner in the Supreme Court case concerning Deputy Speaker voting in Parliament, has stated that he will wait for the complete Supreme Court ruling before deciding whether or not to seek a review.
“I am disappointed that Ghanaians were given this decision, but the situation is not yet resolved.” We can return once the report is completed. When the report is released, there may be a review.
“If they change their views, fantastic; if they don’t change their minds and want us to accept it, fine,” he said on 3FM’s Sunrise show on March 10 to Alfred Ocansey.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled that a Deputy Speaker presiding over proceedings in Parliament has the right to vote on matters and also be counted as part of the quorum for decision making in Parliament.
In a unanimous decision, a seven-member panel of the apex court held that upon a true and proper interpretation of Article 103 and 104 of the 1992 Constitution, a Deputy Speaker who happens to be a member of Parliament does not lose his right to take part in decision making in Parliament.
The unanimous decision was given by Justices Jones Dotse, Nene Amegather, Prof Ashie Kotey, Mariama Owusu, Lovelace Johnson, Clemence Honyenuga and Yonny Kulendi, held that the passing of the budget on November 30, 2021 in which the first Deputy Speaker, Joe Osei Owusu, counted himself as part of the quorum, was valid.
The Supreme Court also struck down order 109(3) of the standing orders of Parliament which prevented a deputy speaker presiding from voting, as unconstitutional.
Mr Abdulai said “whether it was 6-1 or 7-0 does not matter to me”.
“The ruling affects every Ghanaian, both born and unborn. Whether good or bad, it affects everyone because constitutional matters are very serious that is why you cannot play politics with constitutional matters”.
He explained that “the neutrality of the speaker has been taken away and that is dangerous”.
