The behaviour of some NDC parliamentarians and members defies objectivity and rationality

I shall be brief with this publication because I had decided not to write anything today due to bodily weakness and intermittently dozing off. However, I cannot let go the preposterous comments being passed by some NDC parliamentarians and their members and some supposedly learned public members.

Let Samuel Okudjeto Ablakwah, member of parliament for North Tongu Constituency and his loquacious bunch of NDC ilk that are devoid of the knowledge of the law and the constitution, although legislators as they are, understand as follows.

1. Ghana's Constitution of 1992 with Amendments through 1996 states in Article 94 on QUALIFICATIONS AND ELIGIBILITY at Section 2 subsection “a” thus, “A person shall not be qualified to be a member of Parliament if he owes allegiance to a country other than Ghana”. The statement is clear WITHOUT any shred of ambiguity.

1.
Ambiguity is defined by the dictionary as “the fact of something having more than one possible meaning and therefore possibly causing confusion” However, the framing of Section 2a of Article 94 is completely devoid of any confusion. The English and the wording are plain.

2. The Supreme Court is there to interpret the Constitution

3. The Assin North Constituency parliamentarian, JAMES GYAKYE QUAYSON, at the time of filing his candidacy form to contest for the parliamentary seat on the ticket of NDC in 2020 was having a dual Canadian and Ghanaian citizenships. Clearly, he was owing allegiance to both Ghana and Canada. Nonetheless, the Constitution is explicit about owing an allegiance to any country other than Ghana.

4. Does the bible not say in Matthew 6:24 – “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money”?

5. Any citizen of a country, either native or naturalised, “is required by law to obey the laws, pay taxes, defend the nation and serve on juries, serve in the Armed Forces and appear in court”. If you do this, does it not go to affirm your allegiance to the country?

6. In the United States of America (USA) any foreigner taking their citizenship is obliged to swear as thus, "I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty, of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen; that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America”.

In the United Kingdom (UK), one does as following;

A) Oath of allegiance:
I, (name), swear by Almighty God that, on becoming a British citizen, I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to His Majesty King Charles III, his Heirs and Successors, according to law.

b) Affirmation of allegiance:
I (name) do solemnly, sincerely and truly declare and affirm that on becoming a British Citizen, I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to His Majesty King Charles III, his Heirs and Successors, according to law.

c) Pledge:
I will give my loyalty to the United Kingdom and respect its rights and freedoms. I will uphold its democratic values. I will observe its laws faithfully and fulfil my duties and obligations as a British citizen.

7. At the time when James Gyakye Quayson was filing his application, he was both a Ghanaian and a Canadian citizen, owing allegiance to both countries in clear contravention of Act 94 Section 2a. The fact that he alleges to have filed an application with the Canadian authorities to renounce his Canadian citizenship at the time of filing his form to contest for the Assin North parliamentary seat does not negate the fact that he was still not a Canadian. Until a certificate of renunciation was issued to him, despite the fact his application had been submitted and was pending, he was a Canadian citizen much as he is a Ghanaian citizen, owing allegiance to both countries.

What mistake have the Supreme Court made when they interpreted the Constitutional clause exactly as meant and stated by the framers of the Constitution? Why should ignorant and malicious NDC parliamentarians who although are legislators, have no clue about, or difficulty understanding, the Constitution, go on that stupid tangent to lambast the Supreme Court judges?

Did James Gyakye Quayson state in his application form filed with the Ghana Electoral Commission (EC) that he was in the process of renouncing his Canadian citizenship, let alone, attaching a photocopy of his pending renunciation letter to the forms he submitted to the Electoral Commission?

He must have answered a question therein asking if he owns any other nationality apart from Ghana’s by saying NO. If he had said Yes, the EC may have refused his application. By answering NO to any such question, is he not guilty of Sections of Ghana Criminal Code 1960 (Act 29)?

“Section 249—Giving of False Certificate by Public Officer.

Every public officer who, being bound or authorised as such officer to attest or certify, by writing or otherwise, any document or matter, or that an event has or has not happened, attests, or certifies the document or matter knowing it to be false in any material particular, or attests that such event has happened or has not happened, as the case may be, without knowing or having reason to believe that it has happened or has not happened as the case may be, according to his attestation or certificate, shall be guilty of a misdemeanour.

Section 251—Deceiving a Public Officer
Whoever with intent to defeat, obstruct, or pervert the course of justice, or the due execution of the law, or evade the requirements of the law or to defraud or injure a person, or to obtain or assist in or facilitate the obtaining of any passport, instrument, concession, appointment, permission or other privilege or advantage, endeavours to deceive or to overreach any public officer acting in the execution of any public office or duty, by personation, or by any false instrument, document, seal, signature, or by any false statement, declaration, or assurance, whether written or verbal or by any written or verbal statement, declaration, or assurance which the person making such statement, declaration, or assurance did not have good reason to believe to be true, is guilty of misdemeanour”

This article is full of quotes just because I want the public to see who and what most NDC guys are. They are pure deceivers and they do so stupidly, thinking all Ghanaians are fools.

The Supreme Court is right with their judgment pronounced on James Gyakye Quayson.

The next step by whoever took him to court is to pursue him for criminal charges, going by the Ghana Criminal Code 1960 Act 29, for he contested and won that seat by deception.

Rockson Adofo
Friday, 19 May 2023

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