Assin North by-election: What is the use of voting for someone going to jail – Akufo-Addo

James Gyakye Quayson, the former Member of Parliament (MP) for the Assin North Constituency, has come under fire from President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

On Sunday, June 27, 2023, at a Church of Pentecost in the district, Akufo-Addo addressed citizens of Assin North and denied claims that he and his New Patriotic Party (NPP) government were responsible for the prosecution of the expelled MP. He explained to the populace that Gyakye Quayson was being caught up in national legislation.

In response to accusations made by the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) that Quayson would receive votes even if he was imprisoned, the president said that it was pointless to vote for an MP who was going to be sentenced to prison.

“I have heard him (Quayson) remark that you would vote for him even if he were imprisoned. Eiii! Voting for someone who would go to jail serves no purpose. What advantages will we gain from that?

He pointed to Charles Opoku, the NPP candidate for the by-elections, and added in the Twi dialect, “We want someone who can come to me so we sit and find solutions to your challenges.”

Additionally, Akufo-Addo gave the Church of Pentecost a total of GH$150,000 to aid in the development of Pentecost University in Assin North.

BACKGROUND OF THE STORY

On May 17, 2023, the Supreme Court of Ghana ordered the Ghanaian Parliament to remove James Gyakye Quayson’s name as a Member of Parliament (MP).

Justice Jones Victor Dotse, Justice Nene Amegatcher, Justice Mariama Owusu, Gertrude Araba Torkornoo, Justice Prof. Henrietta Mensa-Bonsu, Justice Yonny Kulendi and Justice Barbara Ackah-Yensu declared that Quayson was not qualified at the time he contested the election 2020 in the Michael Ankomah Nimfah vrs James Gyakye Quayson case.

The court found that when the former Assin North MP filed his nomination to run in the 2020 general elections, he did not provide evidence that he had given up his Canadian citizenship.

Following a declaration of the Assin North seat empty by Parliament, a by-election to fill the position will be held on May 27, 2023, according to the Ghanaian Electoral Commission.

The Office of the Attorney General accused the former MP of manipulating public officials in order to get state documents, but there is still one case that the former MP must appear in court for.

James Gyakye Quayson was accused by the State on February 12, 2022, with five offenses: producing a false statutory declaration, perjury, misleading a public official, and forging a passport.

Source: Mynewsghana.com