Parliament has written to the Electoral Commission (EC) declaring the Assin North seat vacant.
Joy News reports that the Clerk of Parliament, Cyril Kwabena Oteng Nsiah wrote to the EC on Monday, May 29, following an order in the recent Supreme Court ruling that James Quayson’s name be expunged from its records.
The apex court concluded that Quayson failed to renounce his Canadian citizenship at the time of filing his nomination forms to contest the polls in Assin North.
Background
Presiding Judge Justice Jones Dotse on Wednesday, May 17, ruled that the Electoral Commission (EC) acted unconstitutionally in allowing Quayson to contest the 2020 parliamentary elections without proof of him renouncing his Canadian citizenship.
This is in the case filed by a resident of the constituency, Michael Ankomah Nimfah.
Mr Nimfah had asked the court to rule that upon a true and proper interpretation of Article 94(2)(a) of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana, at the time Mr Quayson filed his nomination form in October 2020 to contest the 2020 Parliamentary elections for the Assin North constituency, he was not qualified to contest a member of Parliament.
This provision of the constitution provides that a person shall not be qualified to be a member of Parliament if he owes allegiance to a country other than Ghana.
The court in a unanimous decision ruled that Mr. Quayson was not qualified at the time of filing his nomination forms.
It further held that the EC allowing him to contest when he had not shown evidence of renunciation of his citizenship of Canada was unconstitutional.
Declaring the seat vacant means the EC holds a by-election in the constituency.
Source: Myxyzonline.com
