The Minority in Parliament is set to challenge the Cape Coast High Court in the Central Region ruling in respect to Assin North 2020 parliamentary election
The Minority at a news conference in Parliament has shown its readiness to challenge the ruling of the Cape Coast High on the dual-citizen case involving the Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin-North, James Gyakyi Quayson.
According to them, the Judge erred in Law and facts, saying it was a travesty of justice.
The Leader, Haruna Iddrisu said, “it’s worrying but we don’t want to believe that the courts of Ghana have been captured and that the court of Ghana has become forums used surreptitiously to tilt the balance of power.”
He accused the ruling NPP of using the courts to shore up its numbers in Parliament, hinting it will affect cooperation in the House.
Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, however called for calm and cooperation as he stressed the point that “the Leadership of the Party shall take appropriate legal steps to address the issue in no time.
The decision means NDC’s numerical strength in the House has been reduced by one, giving the NPP a slim majority of one.
But in sharp rebuttal, the Majority side admonished the NDC to desist from press conferences. Chief Whip of the New Patriotic Party Caucus in Parliament and MP for Nsawam Adoagyiri, Frank Annoh-Dompreh said, “you don’t organize a press conference at the spur-of-the-moment and start throwing jabs at the government”.
He thinks the NDC is getting confused but he understands, that the ruling “has blown them off their feet but for us it has only justified our claims at the initial stages”.
The Cape Coast High Court in the Central Region has declared the 2020 parliamentary election held in the Assin North Constituency as null and void.
The Court has therefore ordered for a fresh election to be conducted in the constituency.
This ruling was given Wednesday 28th July, 2021 by the Court presided over by Justice Kwasi Boakye.
In his ruling, Justice Boakye upheld that, the National Democratic Congress’ 2020 parliamentary candidate for the constituency, Joe Gyaakye Quayson breached the provisions of the constitution with regard to dual citizenship.
After he was declared winner in the constituency’s election, Mr. Quayson was dragged to Court by Michael Ankomah-Nimfa, a resident of Assin Bereku in the Central Region.
Mr. Ankomah-Nimfa filed a petition at the Cape Coast High Court seeking to annul the declaration of Mr. James Gyaakye Quayson as Member of Parliament for the Assin North Constituency because he owes allegiance to Canada.
In November last year, a group calling itself ‘Concerned Citizens of Assin North also petitioned the Electoral Commission in the Central Region to withdraw the candidature of Mr. Quayson, arguing that he owes allegiance to Canada.
Story by Edzorna Francis Mensah.
