Former Central Regional Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Allotey Jacobs, has described Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin's declaration of four parliamentary seats as vacant as tantamount to a "Parliamentary coup d'état."
Mr Jacobs made this assertion during an interview on Peace FM on Wednesday, October 23, following a series of events that have sparked a significant political standoff.
The controversy began on October 15, 2024, when the Minority Leader, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, invoked Article 97(1)(g) of the 1992 Constitution, questioning the status of four MPs.
Despite the Supreme Court staying Bagbin's ruling, the NDC MPs have vowed to disregard the court's decision, insisting they will only follow the directives of the Speaker of Parliament.
Allotey Jacobs, now a social commentator and activist after his ousting from the NDC, criticised this defiance, warning that such actions threaten the stability of Ghana’s democracy.
He emphasised that the decision by the Speaker to adjourn Parliament indefinitely on October 22 further deepens the political and legal confrontation between the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the NDC.
Mr Jacobs further stressed that the ongoing dispute, which involves two NPP MPs, one NDC MP, and one independent MP, could have far-reaching consequences for the country's democratic processes, urging all parties to respect the rule of law and avoid plunging the nation into chaos.
"We were just there and we heard that they had invoked a certain article to declare four constituencies vacant but for me, my interpretation of what happened in Parliament last in the declaration of four seats as vacant was an act of parliamentary coup d'état led by Luitenant General Sumana Bagbin."
"It was an act of coup d'état, and it won’t happen again because you can’t force yourself to take power when it is not yours. If you want the majority, go and do your campaign on the ground and come back to Parliament in 2025 and be the majority," he stated.
