Member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) communication team, Hamza Suhuyini, has raised concerns over the Clerk of Parliament’s decision to notify the Electoral Commission (EC) of a vacancy in the Kpandai Constituency, despite a pending stay of execution application.
His comments come after a Tamale High Court annulled the election of NPP MP Matthew Nyindam and ordered a rerun within 30 days.
“I’ve listened attentively to my brother, and I was happy when you attempted to refresh his memory… we only seem to be interested in interpreting the rules and laws of our land when it appears to favor our political objectives,” he said.
He stressed that while injunctions do not automatically restrain constitutional bodies, the law treats stay of execution applications differently. “We are dealing with state of execution, and it is law we cannot do politics with,” he explained.
Suhuyini described the Clerk’s letter as “a bit strange,” referencing Speaker Bagbin’s earlier position that CI 19 provides a seven-day automatic stay after judgment. According to him, CI 19 Rule 272 clearly indicates that “an application for a stay of execution ought to operate as a stay of execution itself.”
He argued that the Clerk could have paused until the court determined the stay application, noting that the ruling was only a day away. “It would have been nicer that perhaps the Clerk decided maybe to pause a little… After all, it’s just tomorrow.”
While acknowledging that the Clerk acted within Article 112(5), he insisted timing was the issue. “His declaration is not unlawful… but in terms of law this is a bit problematic. The declaration could have waited.”
