Mustapha Gbande Refutes Claims That NDC Has Replaced James Gyake Quayson Ahead Of Assin North By-Elections
Mustapha Gbande, the Deputy National Secretary of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), has refuted claims that the party has replaced James Gyakye Quayson as their parliamentary candidate for the impending by-election in Assin North.
He noted that the NDC will renominate Quayson for reelection, adding that he is trustworthy and well-liked among his constituents.
"The party has a plan, but what we're communicating to the public is that the NDC is prepared for the special election. As we are already on the ground and are aware that the government is coming to challenge us, we are in the process of making preparations. The NDC is poised for the By-Election in Assin North, he said on Citi FM.
His remark follows a letter from the House of Representatives to the Electoral Commission (EC) declaring the Assin North seat vacant.
The Clerk of Parliament, Cyril Kwabena Oteng Nsiah, sent a letter to the EC on Monday, May 29 in response to a recent Supreme Court ruling mandating that the name of James Quayson be removed from its records.
The supreme court determined that Quayson did not renounce his Canadian citizenship when he submitted his nomination forms to run for office in Assin North.
In response to this development, however, the NDC's deputy scribe criticized the government for plotting to deny the people of Assin North their rightful representation in Parliament through the use of the judiciary.
"We have stated that the government has denied the people of Assin North representation in the House of Representatives through the use of the judiciary. Currently, the Supreme Court has been unable to issue a written decision to the parties involved, which is a perversion of the process.
This implies that we must consolidate our gains on the ground and build upon what we already know. We have stated that we are re-presenting the candidate we know, James Gyakye Quayson, who is trustworthy and well-liked by his constituents. This decision remains unchanged. The NPP is using propaganda to attack the integrity of our candidate, so we are abandoning him. "The party has not stated this," he continued.
Gbande insisted, "He [Quayson] is eligible to run for office and is innocent until proven culpable by a court. Why is the NPP more anxious than we are?"