The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has announced Parliament’s intention to seek legal clarification regarding President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s decision not to sign certain bills that were passed by the House.
Last year, President Akufo-Addo declined to sign the Criminal Offences Bill of 2022, the Witchcraft Bill, and the Armed Forces Bill of 2023, citing financial implications as the basis for his refusal.
Despite this, the Speaker of Parliament has expressed disagreement and revealed plans to take the matter to court for interpretation.
In his statement, the Speaker assured that he would engage with President Akufo-Addo, emphasizing that the president cannot unilaterally determine the constitutionality of the bills. According to the Speaker, such determinations fall within the exclusive jurisdiction of the Supreme Court.
Any concerns about parliamentary actions exceeding constitutional authority, or allegations of misuse, should be addressed through legal processes before the Supreme Court, rather than being pre-emptively declared unconstitutional by the President.
President Akufo-Addo specifically pointed out financial concerns, particularly related to the Ghana Armed Forces Amendment Bill, sponsored by MP Francis-Xavier Sosu, which proposed replacing the death penalty with life imprisonment.
The Speaker stressed that allegations of misuse of constitutional discretion should be contested in a court of competent jurisdiction, as per Article 108 and subject to Article 296, rather than being decided by executive declaration.
