By Iddi Yire
Accra, July 4, GNA – Former President John Dramani Mahama, flagbearer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) on Tuesday, graced the swearing-in of Mr James Gyakye Quayson, the NDC Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin North.
Mr Gyakye Quayson was elected in the June 27th Parliamentary by-election with 57.56 per cent of the valid votes cast.
Mr Mahama was accompanied by leading figures of the NDC such as Mr Johnson Asiedu Nketia, National Chairman; Mr Fifi Kwetey, General Secretary; Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, running mate of the NDC Presidential Candidate in the 2020 general election and Mr Sammy Gyamfi, the National Communications Officer.
Others are Professor Joshua Alabi, the Campaign Manager of the NDC flagbearer; Mr Julius Debrah, a former Chief of Staff and Mr Seth Terkper, a former Finance Minister and other leading figures of the Party.
Among the list of traditional rulers from the Assin North Constituency, who graced the occasion were Nana Hemaa Ntiamoah of Assin Bereku and Nana Frimpong Baah, Assin Bereku Kyeadomhene.
The by-election was necessitated by the ruling of the Supreme Court, which declared the election of Mr Gyakye Quayson in the December 7, 2020, General Election as unconstitutional, null and void.
In a unanimous decision on May 17, 2023, a seven-member panel of the Supreme Court ordered Parliament to expunge the name of Mr Quayson as MP.
The court held that as of the time Mr Gyakye Quayson filed his nomination forms in October 2020, to contest for the Assin North seat, he had not renounced his Canadian citizenship and, therefore, was not qualified per Article 94(2)(a) of the Constitution.
The Attorney-General has subsequently instituted criminal charges against Mr Gyakye Quayson at an Accra High Court.
The Court has decided that it would hear the case on a daily basis.
At the swearing-in of Mr Gyakye Quayson in the Chamber of Parliament and the NDC Minority Caucus Members of the House were clad in all white attire to show their solidarity with their colleague and to celebrate his victory in the June 27 Parliamentary by-election.
GNA