The Attorney-General (AG), Godfred Yeboah Dame says the issue of the four MPs who have decided to participate in the December elections as independent candidates is not a new one in Ghana.

He argues therefore that the Speaker’s declaration of their seats as vacant is an error.

Speaking at the second hearing of the vacant seats case at the Supreme Court on Monday, November 11, 2024, the AG said, “Such situations have occurred in this country before; it is not unique to us, and it is not unprecedented. Clearly, the Constitution anticipated a change of political identity within the term of the current Parliament.”

To support his argument, he pointed out that in the first Parliament of 1960, there were four instances in which members of Parliament crossed carpet or changed their political affiliation. He cited the cases of J.A. Braimah, Mumuni Bawumia, Tampori, and others, who switched from the then governing CPP to join a different political party, while some also crossed from the opposition to the governing party.

He added that similar situations occurred during both the second and third Parliaments.

Godfred Dame further noted, “This situation that we find ourselves in before the court has occurred again in the seventh Parliament. The then Speaker of Parliament, just like the current Speaker, ruled that there was a vacation of seats. My respectful submission on this point is that such a ruling was erroneous.”

Meanwhile, the Speaker, Alban Bagbin’s lawyers did not appear in court and failed to file their statement of case as per the orders of the Supreme Court at the previous hearing.