Speaker adjourns house indefinitely

The Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin has adjourned the House indefinitely citing the lack of a quorum as the reason for halting the session.

He took the decision on Tuesday, October 22 after announcing that he received a communication from the Supreme Court on his earlier ruling declaring the four seats vacant.

The Speaker however did not go into detail regarding the contents of the communication received from the apex court.

The Supreme Court on Friday, October 18 directed Parliament to recognise and allow the four MPs to continue to serve as lawmakers until the case is determined. This was after the Speaker had, on Thursday, October 17, declared four seats in Parliament vacant.
The Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has declared that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) will not allow the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Members of Parliament to create disorder or disrupt the peace in Ghana.
Addressing the media on Tuesday, October 22, Afenyo-Markin explained that the decision by NPP MPs to retreat to their offices on Tuesday, October 22, was a strategic move to avoid confrontation and chaos after a dispute arose in Parliament over who should occupy the Majority side of the Chamber.
Earlier that day, NPP MPs vacated the Parliamentary Chamber following the decision by their NDC colleagues to occupy the majority side of Parliament.
The tension stemmed from a ruling by Speaker Alban Bagbin on October 17, declaring four parliamentary seats vacant—a decision that was contested by the NPP in the Supreme Court, which granted a stay of execution.
In his press conference, Afenyo-Markin accused the NDC of attempting to provoke the NPP into a physical altercation, an effort he said was aimed at destabilizing the country’s peace.