Former President John Dramani Mahama has criticised the ruling of the Supreme Court of Ghana which led to the removal of the Member of Parliament for Assin North, James Gyakye Quayson.
In a post shared on Facebook, on June 16, 2023, Mahama alleged that the judicial system was manipulated to remove Gyakye Quayson.
He added that the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) did all it can to remove the ousted MP just so it would have the numbers in parliament to pass their unpopular policies.
“This NPP administration has gone to indecent lengths to rob the people of Assin North of parliamentary representation. The reason? To gain an advantage in what has essentially been a hung Parliament.
“The James Quayson case will go down in the history of Ghanaian democracy as one of the most brazen manipulations of our judicial system ever,” he wrote.
The former president urged residents of Assin North not to be induced by the monies the government is throwing at them but they should stand on their feet and reaffirm their support for the former MP.
“I firmly believe and trust the people of Assin North to right the wrong done to them and James Quayson by electing him once again as Member of Parliament for the constituency.
To the people of Assin North, I thank you for the continuous love and support you’ve shown James Quayson and the NDC, despite the last-minute vote-buying gimmicks being employed by the NPP,” he added.
Background:
The Supreme Court of Ghana, on May 17, 2023, ordered the Parliament of Ghana to expunge the name of James Gyakye Quayson as a Member of Parliament (MP)
Justice Jones Victor Dotse, Justice Nene Amegatcher, Justice Mariama Owusu, Gertrude Araba Torkornoo, Justice Prof. Henrietta Mensa-Bonsu, Justice Yonny Kulendi and Justice Barbara Ackah-Yensu declared that Quayson was not qualified at the time he contested the election 2020 in the Michael Ankomah Nimfah vrs James Gyakye Quayson case.
According to the court, the ousted Assin North MP failed to prove that he had renounced his Canadian citizenship when he filed his nomination to contest the 2020 general elections.
Parliament subsequently declared the Assin North seat vacant, leading to the Electoral Commission of Ghana announcing a by-election on May 27, 2023, to fill the seat.
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Former President John Dramani Mahama
