Dr. Justice Srem-Sai, a Senior Lecturer in Constitutional Law at the University of Ghana School of Law, has voiced concerns about the growing trend of seeking legal resolutions for political disputes in Parliament. In an interview on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show, Dr. Srem-Sai argued that parliamentary conflicts are inherently political and should be resolved through dialogue and negotiation rather than through court interventions.
His comments come in the wake of heightened tensions in Parliament following Speaker Alban Bagbin’s decision to declare four parliamentary seats vacant, leading to a fierce dispute between the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) caucuses. On October 18, the Supreme Court issued a stay of execution on Speaker Bagbin’s ruling, effectively reinstating the four MPs and allowing them to carry out their official duties.
Despite the court’s ruling, the NDC caucus has refused to relinquish its claim to the majority in Parliament. The situation escalated further on October 23, when both NDC and NPP MPs sat on the majority side of the chamber, leading to a standoff that ended with NPP MPs walking out. Speaker Bagbin, acknowledging the Supreme Court’s stay of execution, adjourned Parliament indefinitely, leaving the future of the House uncertain.
Reflecting on these developments, Dr. Srem-Sai criticized the increasing reliance on legal channels to settle parliamentary disputes, stressing that political conflicts should be addressed through political means, such as negotiations and diplomacy.
“When there is conflict in Parliament, it is a political conflict, and politics must always be resolved by political means. When I say political means, I mean deliberations, negotiations, discussions, and diplomacy,” he explained.
Dr. Srem-Sai further argued that many parliamentary issues are misunderstood as legal matters when they are, in fact, political in nature. He warned that frequent recourse to the courts risks complicating political conflicts, rather than providing effective solutions. “We think they are legal when they are not,” he noted, urging for a more politically grounded approach to parliamentary disputes.
The constitutional law expert’s remarks highlight the broader concern that the increasing legalisation of political processes could undermine the efficacy of parliamentary politics, where diplomacy and negotiation are key to resolving conflicts. As Parliament remains in a state of uncertainty, the need for political dialogue, rather than courtroom interventions, seems more urgent than ever.