A member of the legal team of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Abraham Amaliba, has disclosed that the legal team of the Assin North MP, James Quayson, are weighing options in their next step following the ruling by the Supreme Court requesting him to vacate his seat.
Commenting on the court ruling, Mr. Amaliba disclosed that the team will consider filing for review on the decision after an engagement with its members. “We are weighing our options, we are meeting today to determine the next line of action.”
Abraham Amaliba intimated that the people of Assin North constituency have been denied a representation in Parliament following the Supreme Court ruling ordering James Gyekye Quayson from holding himself in office. According to the legal practitioner, denying the people of Assin North a representation, is not democracy.
Meanwhile, the Attorney General, Mr Godfred Dame has stated that Mr James Gyekye Quayson must suffer the fate of former New Patriotic Party (NPP) MP for Bawku, Adamu Dramani Sakande, who was sentenced for two years imprisonment after he was found guilty of false declaration of office, perjury and deceiving a public officer similar to James Quayson’s.
Mr Godfred Dame intimated that, with Mr. Quayson’s case, the law had to be fairly applied as it was done in the past. The Attorney General further expressed his satisfaction with the Supreme Court’s ruling. According to him, the ruling is an affirmation of law establishing principles by the Supreme Court.
“The same fate befell Adamu Sakande who was not qualified at the time that nominations were opened and we all know what happened to him. Subsequently, they declared him ineligible and his seat was taken away.”
Godfred Dame
Court Orders Assin North MP To Stop Holding Office
The Supreme Court has ordered the Assin North Member of Parliament, Mr. James Quayson, to stop holding himself as a lawmaker.
In a majority decision of 5-2 on Wednesday April 13, 2022, Justices Agnes Dordzie and Nene Amegatcher dissented while Prof. Henrietta Mensah Bonsu, Mariama Owusu, Gertrude Torkornoo, and Emmanuel Yonny Kulendi voted in favor. The Presiding Judge, Justice Dotse, made a pronouncement that, “the MP is restrained from holding himself as MP for Assin North and restrained from attending Parliament to conduct business on behalf of Assin North.”
This decision stemmed from a petition brought before the Supreme Court by Michael Ankomah-Nimfa, a resident of Assin Bereku in the Central Region insinuating that the Mr Quayson owed allegiance to another country other than Ghana at the time of filing his nomination forms to contest the polls.
Following this, the Cape Coast High Court in July 2021, annulled the Assin North parliamentary elections. Dissatisfied with the ruling, the MP filed a case for it to be set aside at the Court of Appeal.
However, the court, presided over by Irene Charity Larbi, ordered that all applications relating to the appeal case before the court concerning the Assin North MP have to be struck out. Mr Quayson further took the case to the Supreme Court to set aside the decision of the Court of Appeal to struck out the appeal but the apex court affirmed the judgement of the lower court.
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