We’ll contest Assin North court ruling – Minority

The minority in Parliament says it will contest the ruling of a high court in Cape Coast which annulled the 2020 Assin North Parliamentary results and called for a re-run of the elections.

The court also directed the National Democratic Congress’ Joe Gyakye Quayson from holding himself as MP.

The petitioner, Mr Michael Ankomah-Nimfa, filed processes at the Cape Coast High Court to annul the declaration of Mr Joe Gyakye Quayson as the Member of Parliament for the constituency.

The NDC candidate polled 17,498 votes in the 2020 general elections to beat the NPP’s Abena Durowaa Mensah’s 14,793.

It later emerged that Mr Quayson held dual citizenship contrary to Article 94 (2) (a) of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana, which states: ‘A person shall not be qualified to be a Member of Parliament if he – (a) owes allegiance to a country other than Ghana’.

Reacting to the court ruling, the Minority in a press conference on Wednesday, 28 July 2021 said they will appeal the ruling.

Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, told the media “He [Quayson] won outright as a citizen, born and bred in that community but for some time had to settle in Canada. He subsequently, as I understand, renounced his citizenship, express so far back in 2019, got his certificate at least before the elections.

“We in the minority remain unshaken, we are confident that it is our seat, it’ll remain our seat. Our first option is to use the same legal processes and legal forum and opportunities available within the constitution.”

Mr Iddrisu indicated that “we will contest the ruling, the judge erred both in law and in facts. It’s a travesty of justice. What is worrying, we don’t want to believe that the courts of Ghana have been captured and the courts of Ghana have become forums being used surreptitiously to tilt the balance of power.

“We are equal, 137-137. What is happening is the courts are now being used to tilt the balance of power and to weaken the time-tested historical notion of checks and balances.”

He insisted that “justice must not only be done but must manifestly and undoubtedly be seen to be done. What happened this morning in Cape Coast, we are told that even when the Supreme Court of Ghana directed Hon Quayson and his legal team to go and file appropriate legal motions for the matter to be referred to the Supreme Court, he was denied that. That is repugnant and upfront to his right to a fair trial guaranteed under Article 19 of the 1992 construction.”

“Danger begets our democracy with the developments happening,” he added. Read Full Story