James Gyakye Quayson, the disparaged former Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin North, is confident he will prevail in the upcoming by-election.
No amount of intimidation from the ruling party, according to Mr. Quayson, will stop his campaign.
In a Sunday, June 18 interview, he stated that not even the pending criminal prosecution component of his case would result in him losing his seat.
He claims that nothing will stop him from standing up and fighting for his constituents.
“Even if they give me a bedroom in the court, Assin North will still vote for me. If they want to see me in the court every hour which means I can’t leave, they should give me a chamber and I will sleep there. I’m still going to stand strong and tall and fight for my people,” he said.
Processes are far advanced for the conduct of the Assin North bye-election on June 27, 2023.
Four parliamentary candidates are contesting the race.
Balloting has also concluded with the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) candidate, Charles Opoku picking the first slot.
A candidate on the ticket of the Liberal Party of Ghana, Sefanu Bernice Enyonam, picked second while the National Democratic Congress’ James Gyakye Quayson picked the third position.
An independent candidate, Abaidoo Agartha, is the fourth person on the ballot sheet.
The various candidates have currently intensified their campaigns in various communities.
The NDC insists that, the former Assin North Member of Parliament can still contest in the upcoming by-election in the constituency despite an ongoing criminal case against him.
Speaking recently on JoyFM, the NDC’s Director of Legal Affairs, Abraham Amaliba said Mr Quayson has not been found guilty of any crime.
“Until and unless he is convicted and sentenced, nothing bars him from contesting. So the advice given to the party is that as of November 2020 when he received his certificate of renunciation, he is qualified to contest any election including presidential elections,” he stated.
Although some have questioned the party’s decision to retain Mr Quayson, Mr Amaliba says as long as he can be found innocent, the NDC is ready to take a “calculated risk.”
“Is there the possibility of him being acquitted and discharged, if the answer is yes, that will be a calculated risk to take. If we are talking about whether or not the law court will sentence him, it can also acquit him,” he said.
In 2022, James Gyakye Quayson was slapped with charges including forgery and perjury by the Attorney-General’s Office.
He is also charged with creating a false declaration and misleading a public official. The action was brought after the Assin North Parliamentary election results were declared invalid by the High Court in July 2021 on the grounds that Mr. Quayson did not qualify to run for office.
In May 2023, the Supreme Court upheld the High Court’s ruling that Mr. Quayson lacked the necessary qualifications when he submitted his nomination paperwork.
Furthermore, it was determined that it was unlawful for the EC to permit him to contest while he had not provided proof of giving up his Canadian citizenship.