The Supreme Court of Ghana has issued a ruling ordering Parliament to remove James Gyakye Quayson from its records as a Member of Parliament.
The presiding judge, Justice Jones Dotse, declared that the Electoral Commission acted unconstitutionally by allowing Quayson to contest the 2020 parliamentary elections without providing proof of renouncing his Canadian citizenship.
The case was brought before the court by Michael Ankomah Nimfah, a resident of the Assin North Constituency. Nimfah argued that Quayson did not meet the qualifications outlined in Article 94(2)(a) of the Ghanaian Constitution, which states that a person cannot be qualified to be a member of Parliament if they owe allegiance to a country other than Ghana.
In a unanimous decision, the court ruled that Quayson was not qualified to contest the elections at the time of filing his nomination forms. The court also held that the Electoral Commission’s decision to allow him to participate without evidence of renouncing his Canadian citizenship was unconstitutional.
As a result, the court declared Quayson’s election to be unconstitutional, null and void, with no effect. His swearing-in as a Member of Parliament was also deemed unconstitutional, and Parliament was instructed to remove his name from its records.
The case was heard by Justices Jones Dotse, Nene Amegatcher, Mariama Owusu, Gertrude Torkonoo, Prof Henrietta Mensah Bonsu, Emmanuel Kulendi, and Barbara Ackah Ayensu.
Source: AdomOnline
