Supreme Court’s ruling on Gyakye Quayson very unfortunate – Mahama Ayariga

The Member of Parliament for Bawku Central, Mahama Ayariga, has expressed disappointment over the Supreme Court’s ruling that invalidated the election of James Gyakye Quayson as the MP for the Assin North constituency.

In a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court ordered Parliament to remove James Gyakye Quayson’s name from its records as a Member of Parliament representing the Assin North constituency.

The case was brought before the Supreme Court to assess the constitutionality of James Gyakye Quayson’s election following claims he owed allegiance to Canada.

During an interview with Umaru Sanda Amadu on Eyewitness News on Wednesday, Mahama Ayariga voiced his concern, stating, “Some of us advocated that the court should be more progressive in its interpretation of the Constitution and assume the determination of status to the point where an MP is being sworn in. But it seems the court has taken a position that it should be at the time that you are even filing your nominations to contest an election”.

Ayariga criticized the Supreme Court saying it hastily issued the directive without providing the full judgment on the case.

“I have been a critique of the Supreme Court taking decisions without reasoning and even allowing time before they give judgment. In politically charged cases, it will do the Supreme Court image good if they took their time to give the decision and the reasoning at the same time so that it will not allow for all sort of interpretations,” he noted.

The New Patriotic Party’s Director of Elections, Evans Nimako, hailed the Supreme Court’s declaration of the Assin North 2020 parliamentary election as null and void.

But the Minority caucus in Parliament has strongly criticized the ruling.

Background

While the New Patriotic Party’s Director of Elections, Evans Nimako, commended the Supreme Court’s ruling to nullify the Assin North 2020 parliamentary election, the Minority caucus in Parliament strongly criticized the verdict.

Background: In November 2020, a group called the ‘Concerned Citizens of Assin North’ petitioned the Electoral Commission in the Central Region to revoke Mr. Quayson’s candidacy, alleging that he owed allegiance to Canada.

James Gyakye Quayson, who ran as the National Democratic Congress’ parliamentary candidate for the Assin North constituency in the 2020 elections, received 17,498 votes (55.21%), while Abena Durowaa Mensah, the candidate from the New Patriotic Party, secured 14,193 votes (44.79%).

Subsequently, Michael Ankomah-Nimfah, a teacher and resident of Yamoransa in the Central Region, filed a petition at the Cape Coast High Court seeking to annul Mr. Quayson’s declaration as the MP for Assin North. The Cape Coast High Court upheld the petition and declared the 2020 parliamentary election in the Assin North Constituency null and void, citing Mr. Quayson’s violation of the constitutional provisions regarding dual citizenship.