The Speaker of Parliament did not have to wait for the judgement of the Supreme Court rendered on 12 November 2024, declaring both his conduct on 17 October 2024 in Parliament in interpreting the provisions of Article 97 (1) (g) and (h), of the 1992 Constitution and pronouncing the seats of four Members of Parliament (MPs) vacant as unconstitutional to obey orders directed at Speaker of Parliament by the Court on 18 October 2024 and reaffirmed on 30 October 2024 staying the Speaker's ruling or pronouncement of those four seats vacant. The Speakers continued intransigence in challenging, disobeying, and scurrilously abusing the Court through pronouncements in Parliament and media engagements with public funds escalated the conflict to such intractable and emotional intensity that the eventual resolution of the controversy by the Supreme Court on 12 November 2024 has left behind emotional and face-saving residues that will affect coordination and cooperation in Parliament between the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for several years after the tenure of Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin as the Speaker of the eighth (8) Parliament of Ghana.Speaker Bagbin's media engagement and pronouncements on 6 November 2024 which I thought was going to be reconciliatory and to which I put in tremendous efforts behind the scenes to encourage him to do so, took on the hallmark of contempt of scandalising the Supreme Court in the execution of the judicial power vested in the Court under the 1992 Constitution.Speaker Bagbin adjourned Parliament sine die on Thursday, 7 November 2024 after Parliament had been recalled at the behest of the Majority caucus of Parliament.The Speaker's attitude of refusing to ensure that the status quo ante his ruling of 17 October 2024 prevailed on 7 November 2024 was also contumacious of the two decisions and of the orders of the Supreme Court.
The decisions and orders of the Supreme Court or any other court are binding until vacated or overturned by the Courts.
Millions of media discussions on radio, television, in the print, and other electronic media can not change this position of the law designed to ensure respect for decisions of the courts as enjoined under the 1992 Constitution and as carried over from the common law.Whether the Court's decision was founded or unfounded was beside the point, it had to be obeyed until set aside or overturned, period!
We did not have to wait for the Supreme Court's judgement on 12 November 2024 to now turn round to remind Speaker Bagbin and the public of the consequences of disobeying or scurrilously commenting on the decisions and orders of the Court or abusing the Court.How Speaker Bagbin is going to swallow his big ego and pride, and recall Parliament by eating humble pie in obeying the judgement and orders of the Court after disrupting the smooth working of Parliament for more than one month should be anybody's guess.