Talensi seat officially declared vacant as MP-turned-chief resigns

The Speaker of Parliament, Edward Doe Adjaho, has officially declared the Talensi seat in the Upper East Region vacant.

The Member of Parliament, Robert Nachinab Doaneng Mosore, who has been enskinned as a chief turned in his resignation letter in a closed-door meeting with the speaker on Monday.

His resignation comes after some members questioned his continuous stay in office and subsequent withdrawal of salary as an MP since news broke of his new role as a chief in April.

Some MPs had demanded that Parliament sanctioned him. But the Speaker told the house on Tuesday June 9, that the MP officially tendered in his resignation letter to him on Monday.

The speaker thus officially accepted the letter and declared the seat vacant in conformity with Article 97 (1) of the 1992 Constitution.

He also instructed the clerk of Parliament to inform the Electoral Commission to begin the necessary preparations for a bye-election in accordance with Article 112(5) of the 1992 Constitution.

The now former New Patriotic Party Member of Parliament, was enskinned as the Paramount Chief of Tongo to replace the late Tongo-Raana Sapaalug-Namalteng Boara Yenga Kolbil.

The legislator once contested the throne in May 2007 but lost to the late chief.

Doaneng cannot hold his office as an MP because the Constitution bars chiefs from active politics.

Article 276 of the 1992 Constitution states: (1) A chief shall not take part in active party politics; and any chief wishing to do so and seeking election to Parliament shall abdicate his stool or skin.

(2) Notwithstanding clause (1) of this article and paragraph (c) of clause (3) of article 94 of this Constitution, a chief may be appointed to any public office for which he is otherwise qualified.

Article 277 adds: In this Chapter unless the context otherwise requires, “chief” means a person, who, hailing from the appropriate family and lineage, has been validly nominated, elected or selected and enstooled, enskinned or installed as a chief or queen-mother in accordance with the relevant customary law and usage.

With the seat officially declared vacant, some names are expected to pop up to contest.

By: Ebenezer Afanyi Dadzie/3news.com/Ghana

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