Deposed MP for Assin North, James Gyakye Quayson, has expressed disappointment and surprise at the Supreme Court’s decision to get his records expunged as a Member of Parliament.
The Supreme Court ruled for Parliament to remove Mr Quayson’s name from its records as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin North on Wednesday, May 17, 2023.
It was a unanimous decision taken by a seven-member panel made up of Nene Amegatcher, Prof. Henrietta Mensah Bonsu, Mariama Owusu, Gertrude Torkornoo, Emmanuel Yonny Kulendi and Barbara Frances Ackah-Yensu.
The panel ruled that James Gyakye Quayson was not qualified at the time of nomination to qualify for the Assin North parliamentary elections in 2020.
Additionally, the apex court said the swearing of Mr Quayson into office as MP for Assin North was also unconstitutional.
Speaking after the ruling, Mr Quayson said: “I am, of course, disappointed by the Court’s decision.”
“I am especially surprised that the Court now says that foreign bureaucrats now determine whether natural-born Ghanaians have the right to contest for parliamentary elections in Ghana or not,” he said.
He added that he would now leave the matter to the court of conscience, which supersedes all other courts.
Meanwhile, the Minority in Parliament has described the court’s decision as a slap in the face of democracy and the rule of law.
According to the Minority Leader, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, Mr Quayson was not a dual citizen at the time of election and taking the oath of office into the Eighth Parliament.
“The intention of the framers of Ghana’s constitution is not to allow a dual citizen to perform the functions of a Member of Parliament.
“It is therefore baffling that the Supreme Court could direct the removal from Parliament of such a person who has been duly elected as a Member of Parliament,” he stated on Wednesday.