Voting rights of Deputy Speaker: Supreme Court got its ruling wrong — Lawyer Sam Atukwei-Quaye

A Private Legal Practitioner, Sam Atukwei-Quaye says the Supreme Court got its ruling on the voting rights of a Deputy Speaker wrong.

Last Wednesday, March 9, 2022, a seven-member panel of the Supreme Court unanimously 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 when sitting in for the Speaker of the House.

Sharing his thoughts on the ruling in an interview on GTV’s Breakfast show today, Sam Atukwei-Quaye stressed, “I disagree with the Supreme Court ruling.”

According to the private legal practitioner, the Supreme Court got its latest ruling totally wrong.

“The Judiciary is not supposed to instruct Cabinet on how to undertake proceedings in the House.

“I expected Parliament to speak on the issue before the Supreme Court came in.

“It appears to me that the Supreme Court got this wrong,” Sam Atukwei-Quaye shared.

He said the Supreme Court must look at the present situations when interpreting the Constitution.

Just like Sam Atukwei-Quaye, many Ghanaians including the Minority in Parliament have expressed dissatisfaction with the Supreme Court ruling.

For former President John Dramani Mahama, the ruling is an absurdity and will serve as a dangerous precedent going forward.