Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin has expressed frustration over what he describes as legislators’ growing habit of seeking the Supreme Court's intervention on parliamentary issues.

According to him, this situation undermines the authority and respect of the legislative body.

The Speaker voiced his concerns at a press conference on Wednesday, November 6, 2024, calling on lawmakers to demonstrate greater loyalty to Parliament and limit appeals to external judicial intervention.

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This was in reaction to Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin's injunction application at the apex court in response to the Minority's petition for the Speaker to declare the seats of some candidates vacant.

Mr Bagbin pointed to this and other recent instances where members of the Majority turned to the Supreme Court to resolve issues within Parliament, describing this trend as damaging to the institution’s standing.

“Most worrying is that these proceedings are initiated by some members of parliament, even leaders of Parliament, who ought to know better,” he stated.

According to Alban Bagbin, this reliance on the Supreme Court reflects a lack of confidence within Parliament itself and detracts from its independent authority.

“Parliamentarians who are to be loyal to Parliament rather than to the Supreme Court run to the Supreme Court at the slightest opportunity to use the Supreme Court to undermine Parliament,” he said.

“This might be one of the reasons Parliament and members of Parliament are not respected and are treated with disdain.”

The Speaker urged MPs to recognise their duty to Parliament first, suggesting that strengthening Parliament’s internal mechanisms could prevent external intervention and bolster the institution’s integrity in the eyes of the public.

"Parliament weakens itself when its members keep running to our courts to settle or seek favourable determinations of not just legal matters, but essentially political and governance questions. It is my strong belief the matter before the Supreme Court can be settled within Parliament through mature deliberations and compromises."