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Parliament has temporarily halted the consideration of President Akufo-Addo’s nomination of Ministers and Deputy Ministers of State due to an interlocutory injunction filed at the Supreme Court. The lawsuit, filed by MP Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, has prevented Parliament from vetting and processing the new ministerial nominees.
Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, announced this development in his final address to the House before adjourning the sitting on March 20, 2024. He explained that the lawsuit and the injunction motion on notice sought to restrain the Speaker from proceeding with the vetting and approval process until constitutional requirements were satisfied.
As a result of the legal process, the House cannot continue considering the nominations until after the Supreme Court determines the application for interlocutory injunction. This decision is made in the spirit of upholding the rule of law.
Also Read: Impeachment Process Against Akufo-Addo Set to Begin
The suspension of the vetting process came after a letter from the Secretary to the President, Nana Asante Bediatuo, directed Parliament not to send the anti-gay bill to President Akufo-Addo for his assent.
The letter cited pending applications for an order of interlocutory injunction before the Supreme Court as the reason for this decision. The Attorney-General has advised the President not to take any action regarding the bill until the legal matters are resolved.
Speaker Alban Bagbin criticized the President’s directive, considering it a threat to Ghana’s democracy. He argued that the refusal to accept the transmission of the bill deviated from established democratic practices and undermined the spirit of cooperative governance and mutual respect for the arms of government.
Bagbin stressed that the President’s refusal was not supported by the constitutional and statutory provisions that guide the legislative process.
