<\/p>\n
Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has said the recent parliamentary impasse was needless and could have been avoided.<\/p>\n
However, Mr. Afenyo-Markin stated that he doesn\u2019t blame the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, for the way he handled the issue.<\/p>\n
In an interview on Adom TV , the Effutu Member of Parliament (MP) declared that the Speaker hasn\u2019t been fair to him, the government, and the House at large.<\/p>\n
According to him, the Speaker felt he had to protect his party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC).<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are things you have to appreciate, and you don\u2019t have to be emotional about it. I don\u2019t blame Mr. Speaker; he just felt he must protect his party, and that is how he does his thing.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a leader, there are times when you have to endure certain things, so we will leave it there. But this parliamentary impasse was needless,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n
The eighth parliament, towards its dissolution, has been in the news over the past weeks following a legal dispute over Speaker Alban Bagbin\u2019s decision to declare four parliamentary seats vacant.<\/p>\n
This declaration, citing alleged constitutional violations by certain MPs, has ignited widespread debate.<\/p>\n
The Supreme Court subsequently intervened, temporarily suspending Speaker Bagbin\u2019s declaration.<\/p>\n
But in a final ruling on Tuesday, November 12, 2024, the Apex Court stated that the declaration was unconstitutional.<\/p>\n
Mr. Afenyo-Markin, who initiated the lawsuit, was accused of acting in bad faith since the issue could have been settled out of court.<\/p>\n
Responding to concerns that the impasse was his creation, the lawmaker vehemently fought off the claims, questioning, \u201cAm I the one who declared the seats vacant? I went to the man to negotiate with him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Explaining why the issues couldn\u2019t have been settled in Parliament, he added, \u201cThis is the man who has made a ruling. If you still want to rely on parliamentary procedures, it means you have to challenge his ruling, and you cannot ask him to step aside for his Deputy to preside over your appeal or review. He is the same person who is going to sit on it.\u201d<\/p>\n