Speaker Alban Bagbin says calls for the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) to remove Dome-Kwabenya legislator, Sarah Adwoa Safo from parliament cannot be carried on their own authority without recourse to parliament.
He made the remarks at an Editors’ forum where he indicated that political parties do not have the absolute power to remove their representatives in parliament.
According to Mr. Bagbin, parliament has its own internal processes for the removal of a legislator and the basis for such actions is clearly stated in the constitution.
“When I hear my colleagues in the NPP say that they have removed Adwoa Safo, I ask, do you have that power? You can use your party to take her off as a member of your party and that can trigger some constitutional consequences, but you cannot just go and sit down and say you have removed her because it is only the Speaker that can declare the seat vacant,” he said.
Adwoa Safo has come under intense criticism from some of her colleagues in recent weeks for absenting herself from Parliament – a move that has slowed down government’s ability to pass the controversial E-Levy bill.
Per Article 97 (1) (c) of the 1992 Constitution, Members of Parliament who stay away from parliamentary sitting 15 times or more within a meeting without the written permission of the Speaker must be made to vacate their seats.
According to Bagbin, Adwoa Safo or any other member who is found to have violated the constitution in that regard is to be made to face the Privileges Committee.
“Our constitution did not talk about it being consecutive, but I have been getting reports from Civil society calculating it on a session and just adding your days of absence and saying that you should have vacated your seat. But when I read a lot of cases in other jurisdictions they said consecutive, fifteen consecutive sitting days in a meeting, that is the circumstances under which the Speaker will be called upon to refer the matter to the Privileges Committee who will invite the member to come and explain why the absence without the permission from the speaker.”
“If a reason is given that is reasonable, then the person would not have to vacate his or her seat. It is when the committee decides that the reason is not reasonable then they will report to the House, the House will debate it and the decision will be taken,” he explained.
Adwoa Safo has been accused by the NPP of holding the Majority Caucus to ransom with demands to be appointed the Deputy Majority Leader in Parliament – a position she held in the previous Parliament.
She has reportedly decided to stay away from Parliament because her demand had been turned down.
