Judgement day for James Gyakye Quayson as Supreme Court rules today

The Supreme Court will later today, Wednesday, rule on an application seeking to stop James Gyakye Quayson from holding himself as the Member of Parliament for Assin North.

A seven-member panel of the SC presided over by Justice Jones Dotse set the date to rule on an interlocutory injunction after hearing oral arguments by counsel for Mr Quayson, Mr Tsatsu Tsikata, the Attorney-General, Godfred Yeboah Dame, Frank Davies who represented Michael Ninfa, the applicant, and Emmanuel Adei, counsel for the Electoral Commission, the second defendant.

Ninfa, a teacher and resident of Yamoransa in the Central Region filed the interlocutory motion and urged the court to bar the lawmaker from holding himself out as MP.

His application originated from the decision of the Cape Coast High Court dated July 21, 2021 that nullified the 2020 Assin North Parliamentary election because Mr Quayson, a Canadian citizen, failed to renounce his Canadian citizenship at the time he picked nomination forms to contest the election.

Appearing before the seven-member panel, Mr Davies said Mr Quayson had breached the 1992 Constitution of Ghana and the electoral rules.

He argued that the people of Assin North had been saddled with an unqualified person.

“If he continues to be in Parliament, he will still be in breach of the constitution. The people of Assin North have been saddled with an unqualified person for far too long,” Mr Davies added.

Mr Davies told the justices that motions for interlocutory injunction had invariably succeeded while the substantive writ is pending and said that the balance of convenience should tilt in favour of his client.