Parliament has declared the Assin North parliamentary seat vacant through its Clerk following the Supreme Court’s decision regarding James Gyakye Quayson’s eligibility to hold the Assin North seat.
On May 17, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously that James Gyakye Quayson’s name be removed from the Parliament of Ghana’s records as the representative for the Assin North constituency.
“In a memo addressed to the Electoral Commission, the Clerk wrote: “In the exercise of the power granted and the duty imposed on the Clerk to Parliament by section 3 of the Constitution of the Republic of Ghana (Amendment) Act, 1996 (Act 527), I, CYRIL KWABENA OTENG NSIAH, Clerk to Parliament do hereby formally notify you of the occurrence of a vacancy in the Assin North Constituency necessitated by the Judgement of Judgement of the Supreme Court dated 17 May 2023 vide Writ No. J1/11/2022 issued in respect of James Gyakye Quayson in the case of Michael Ankomah Nimfah vrs James Gyakye Quayson. The Electoral Commission of Ghana and the Attorney-General request you to take appropriate consequential action as required by law.”
A group calling itself “Concerned Citizens of Assin North” petitioned the Electoral Commission in the Central Region to have Mr Quayson’s candidature withdrawn in November 2020, claiming that he owed allegiance to Canada.
James Gyakye Quayson, who stood on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress as its parliamentary candidate in the Assin North constituency for the 2020 polls got 17,498 votes representing (55.21%) while Abena Durowaa Mensah, the New Patriotic Party’s candidate had 14,193 representing (44.79%).
After the election, Michael Ankomah-Nimfah, a teacher and resident of Yamoransa in the Central Region, filed a petition at the Cape Coast High Court asking for the declaration of Mr. Quayson as the MP for Assin North to be overturned.
The 2020 parliamentary election held in the Assin North Constituency was declared invalid by the Cape Coast High Court in the Central Region because Mr. Quayson had violated the constitution’s dual citizenship provisions, as requested by Mr. Akomah-Nimfah.
