Support me with money to go for a review – Justice Abdulai pleads with Bagbin and others
Justice Abdulai, the private legal practitioner who had sought an interpretation from the Supreme Court over the Deputy Speakers’ voting rights has called on those encouraging him to go for a review to support him financially to do that.
Speaking during an interview on Accra based TV3 on Saturday, March 12, he said “All those urging me, including Speaker Bagbin to go for a review, [persons] from the NPP and the NDC, please, I need more money because it is for the national interest.”
Earlier on Speaker Alban Bagbin had encouraged him to go for a review of the ruling. In the view of Mr Bagbin, the ruling was not only an absurdity but a reckless incursion into the remit of Parliament.
“I have resisted the temptation of making a comment on the judgment of the Supreme Court on the issue of the voting rights of Deputy Speakers when presiding. But the unfortunate and myopic comment of the President has compelled me to let it out,” portions of Bagbin’s reply stated.
He continued, “The SC decision is, to say the least, not only an absurdity but a reckless incursion into the remit of Parliament.
Mr Bagbin went on to describe President Akufo-Addo’s subsequent comments in relation to the ruling as myopic and unfortunate.
“The trend of unanimity is equally troubling. It doesn’t help explore and expand our legal jurisprudence. The President’s comment is myopic and unfortunate. It only goes to worsen the schism between the Executive and Parliament.
Also, he added that “The impartiality of the Speaker, Deputy Speaker or Presiding Officer has been treasured and fought for by this country throughout our democratic development” while also alerting the President that “the issue being discussed is not about Parliament being above the law” adding that “Everyone knows that Parliament is not above the law”.
“The Executive and the Judiciary are equally not above the law. The issue being discussed is the political question doctrine. It took centuries to detail out the strands of this doctrine and the principles are settled as to when and how this closed book could be opened. Please, I encourage Plaintiff to go for a review,” he said in a statement on Friday, March 11.
The Supreme court on Wednesday, March 9 dismissed an application to pronounce as unconstitutional, Joseph Osei Wusu’s action of counting himself for the purposes of quorum.
The court presided by Justice Jones Dotse ruled that the Deputy Speaker of Parliament’s participation in voting was constitutional.
