Speaker of Parliament expected to determine Adwoa Safo’s fate today

• Posted on July 28, 2022July 28, 2022
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin is expected to make a pronouncement on the fate of Dome Kwabenya Member of Parliament, Sara Adwoa Safo today, Thursday, July 28, 2022.

This follows the laying of the Privileges Committee’s report on her absence in Parliament. The report delivered a split decision on whether or not her seat should be declared vacant.

The committee failed to achieve a consensus in its recommendations on whether absenting herself for more than the mandatory 15 days without permission warrants her seat being declared vacant.

According to a copy of the report, the Majority wants the seat declared vacant without delay in line with stated constitutional provisions, while the Minority argued that according to the principle of natural justice, the seat should not be declared vacant because Adwoa Safo did not provide her side of the issue to the committee.

The Speaker according to sources will give a verdict on the matter before the house goes on recess today.

The Committee maintains that Sarah Adwoa Safo failed to take advantage of the numerous opportunities to explain her absence without leave.

The Majority MPs on the committee cited Article 97 (1) (c) of the 1992 Constitution and the Court of Appeal decision in the case of Professor Stephen Kwaku Asare v the Attorney General & 3 Ors, in this regard.

The Minority MPs on the committee, however, argued that according to the principle of natural justice, the seat should not be declared vacant because Adwoa Safo did not provide her side of the issue to the committee.

The committee however determined that the excuse from her two other colleagues, Kennedy Agyepong and Henry Quartey for absenting themselves were reasonable.

Adwoa Safo recently accused some National Democratic Congress (NDC) members and a number of her colleague NPP MPs of political witch hunting.

Nana Dubin, her Special Assistant has denied suggestions that the embattled lawmaker snubbed the Houses’ Privileges Committee.

Though unable to give specific reasons for her inability to engage the Committee, he told sources that the MP has no difficulty attending to the Committee.

-Citi