Former Majority Leader and Suame MP, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, has criticised the decision by the Clerk to Parliament to independently write to the Electoral Commission declaring the Kpandai parliamentary seat vacant, describing the move as unprecedented and procedurally improper.
Speaking on Joy FM’s morning show on Wednesday, December 10, 2025, the veteran lawmaker questioned the legitimacy of the letter signed by Clerk Ebenezer Ahumah Djietror and addressed to EC Chairperson Jean Mensa, which triggered processes for a possible by-election in the Northern Region constituency following a High Court-ordered re-run of the 2024 election.
“It has never happened before that a Clerk will on his own initiative write to the Electoral Commission on a matter of this nature,” Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu stressed.
He drew a direct comparison with the high-profile James Gyakye Quayson case, where Speaker Alban Bagbin rejected a similar court communication that was addressed to the Clerk instead of the Speaker himself.
“In the Gyakye Quayson matter, when the court’s letter came through the Clerk, the Speaker said because it concerned a sitting Member of Parliament, it was not within the Clerk’s jurisdiction. The letter was returned and redirected to the Speaker. The same Speaker is still in the chair today. So what has changed?” he asked.
The former Majority Leader quoted Mr Bagbin’s own caution during the Quayson saga: “An irreparable damage will be done to Gyakye Quayson if Parliament rushed to communicate the decision of the court to the Electoral Commission,” adding that Parliament was instructed to wait until all legal processes, including appeals, were exhausted.
“Today the same principle is being thrown to the dogs,” he lamented.
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu insisted that established practice requires the Speaker to first consult parliamentary leadership, reach a consensus, and only then direct the Clerk to issue any communication to the EC.
“No Clerk has ever shown such initiative. When these matters arise, the Speaker summons leadership, we discuss, a decision is taken, and the Clerk is instructed accordingly. There should be no pretence about this,” he stated.
The Minority Caucus has already demanded the immediate withdrawal of the letter, describing it as unlawful and a breach of parliamentary procedure.