Mahama expecting plaintiff to go for review on ‘regrettable’ SC ruling on Deputy Speakers

Former President John Dramani Mahama has stated that he is looking forward to Justice Abdulai going for a review on Wednesday’s Supreme Court judgement endorsing the rights of Deputy Speakers to vote while they preside over sittings.

Mr Abdulai, a law lecturer and legal practitioner, went to the Supreme Court for interpretation on articles 102 and 104 of the 1992 Constitution after the First Deputy Speaker, Joseph Osei Owusu, attempted to vote during a sitting he was presiding over.

On Wednesday, March 9, a seven-member panel of the Supreme Court presided over by Justice Jones Dotse said the action by Mr Osei Owusu, a Member of Parliament for Bekwai Constituency, was constitutional.

The decision, which also struck out some aspects of Standing Order 109 of Parliament, was unanimous.

But Mr Mahama has since questioned the basis of the ruling in a series of comments.

He had stated that the ruling sets a dangerous precedent for interference in parliamentary work while it has the tendency to lead the legislature into an “absurdity”.

On Sunday, in a Facebook post, the former president said he is looking forward to the applicant going for a review.

“This judgement is regrettable, and I look forward to the applicant applying for a review of this ruling,” he concluded the post.

Already, the plaintiff has hinted of going for a review of the decision despite all the seven justices of the Supreme Court voting in favour of the decision.

“I am disappointed that Ghanaians have been given this decision but it is not over,” the lecturer at the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) said.

“We can go back when the report is issued. There can be a review when the report is released. If they change their minds, fine, if they do not change their minds and they want us to accept it, fine.”