Parliament declares Assin North seat vacant

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Parliament has officially declared the Assin North seat vacant, according to a letter addressed to the Electoral Commission (EC) from the Clerk of Parliament, Cyril Kwabena Oteng Nsiah on Monday, May 29, as confirmed by sources from MyJoyOnline.com.

The decision to declare the seat vacant was based on the recent ruling and directives issued by the Supreme Court. The apex court had instructed Parliament to remove James Gyakye Quayson's name from its records.

The court concluded that Quayson, who had failed to renounce his Canadian citizenship at the time of filing his nomination forms for the parliamentary elections, was ineligible to hold the Assin North seat.

Justice Jones Dotse, the presiding judge, delivered the verdict on Wednesday, May 17, after a case was filed by Michael Ankomah Nimfah, a resident of the constituency. Nimfah argued that Quayson's nomination violated Article 94(2)(a) of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana, which stipulates that individuals cannot serve as members of Parliament if they owe allegiance to any country other than Ghana.

The unanimous decision of the court ruled that Quayson was not qualified to contest the elections when he submitted his nomination forms. Furthermore, the court deemed the EC's approval of his candidacy, despite his failure to demonstrate the renunciation of his Canadian citizenship, as unconstitutional.

This paves way for a by-election to be held in the Assin North constituency.

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