James Gyakye Quayson has formally stated his desire to run in the Assin North by-election scheduled for June 27.
Mr. Quayson was dismissed from Parliament and his name was deleted from the legislative body’s records after the Supreme Court declared his election in the 2020 elections invalid due to his dual citizenship.
The most essential thing to me right now is to run for and win the by-election, which is the outcome of what the Supreme Court announced on May 17, 2023, Mr. Quayson said in a statement, while he emphasized that he officially relinquished his Canadian citizenship before entering the 2020 elections. I’m committed to continuing to provide all of my heart, soul, body, and resources to the wonderful people of the Assin North for the benefit of my constituents.
After a group calling itself “Concerned Citizens of Assin North” petitioned the Electoral Commission in the Central Region to have Mr. Quayson’s candidacy withdrawn on the grounds that he owed allegiance to Canada, his problems started in November 2020.
After the election, Yamoransa resident and teacher Michael Ankomah-Nimfah filed a suit at the Cape Coast High Court asking for the declaration of Mr. Quayson as the MP for Assin North to be overturned.
The 2020 parliamentary election held in the Assin North Constituency was declared invalid because Mr. Quayson had violated the constitution’s prohibitions on holding dual citizenship, according to the Cape Coast High Court in the Central Region, which upheld Mr. Akomah-Nimfah’s request.
On May 17, the Supreme Court upheld the Cape Coast High Court’s decision and ordered Parliament to remove his name from its files.
On May 30, the Assin North seat was declared empty by Parliament, allowing for new elections to be held in the area.
Following that, a by-election was scheduled for June 27 in the region by the Electoral Commission.
That means Mr. Quayson will be running for the by-election, according to the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
Because of this, Mr. Quayson requested his constituents in his statement to “come out in your numbers to vote for me, so that I return to Parliament and continue the work I began to do on your behalf, towards advancing the Assin North development agenda.”
