Assin North: parliament officially declares seat vacant

Parliament wrote to officially inform the Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana about the vacant Assin North seat as another by-election lingers. The seat formerly occupied by James Gyakye Quayson was declared following court decisions against the former Canadian citizen.

The Clerk of Parliament Cyril Kwabena Oteng Nsiah wrote to the EC on behalf of the house to notify it of the vacancy.

“In the exercise of the power conferred and the duty imposed on the Clerk to Parliament by section 3 of the Constitution of the Republic of Ghana (Amendment) Act, 1996 (Act 527), 1, CYRIL KWABENA OTENG NSIAH, Clerk to Parliament do hereby formally notify you of the occurrence of a vacancy in the Assin North Constituency necessitated by the Judgement of the Supreme Court dated 17, May, 2023 wide Writ No. J1/11/2022 issued in respect of James Gyakye Quayson in the case of Michael Ankomah Nimfah vs James Gyakye Quayson, The Electoral Commission and the Attorney General and request you to take the appropriate consequential as required by law,” the letter stated.

James Gyakye Quayson was hauled before the Cape Coast High Court by one Michael Ankomah Nimfah who challenged the legitimacy of his election as a Member of Parliament. The court ruled against the then-MP. The case then continued to the Supreme Court which by a decision on May 17, 2023, asked Parliament to expunge James Gyakye Quayson from its records.

Meanwhile, the opposition NDC has decided to retain James Gyakye Quayson as the Parliamentary Candidate for the by-election, promising to use all its strength to help him secure a landslide victory.