There was some drama in Parliament as the Majority attempted to remove embattled Assin North MP, James Gyakye Quayson, from the floor of the House during Parliamentary proceedings insisting that Parliament must adhere to an order from the High Court that prevented James Gyekye Quayson from holding himself as an MP.
Dr. Kingsley Nyarko, MP, Kwadaso, had asked the House which was presided over by Joseph Osei Owusu (Joe Wise), First Deputy Speaker, to decide the faith of the MP who was in the chamber to present the people of Assin North.
This call generated a heated debate among legislators regarding whether or not James Gyakye Quayson’s presence was in contempt of court. The Kwadaso MP was also seeking to find out if his colleague was permitted to be in the House and continue to carry himself as a lawmaker.
“Honourable Speaker, we are law-abiding people, we go by the tenets of the constitution. I want to find out from you whether his presence here is allowed,” Dr. Nyarko said.
Samuel Atta Akyea, Abuakwa South MP, added his voice to the debate, stating, the House should not condone the conduct of the embattled MP.
“Let it sound strong that he is disqualified to come to this chamber until he is allowed to sit here by a High Court. If not then he is in contempt of the court and this honourable house should not give its blessings to a man who has conducted himself improperly and we shouldn’t encourage such behaviour for our own dignity,” he said.
But in a reaction, Rockson Nelson Dafeamekpor, South Dayi MP, noted, “The Honourable Atta Akyea has misled the House to suggest that the Appeal is not before the Court of Appeal, it was not dismissed. What was dismissed was an interlocutory matter that was set aside on grounds of noncompliance, the substantive appeal is pending. As a House, we cannot tolerate this. Our two brothers (Dr. Kingley Naryko and Atta Akyea) are completely out of order for raising this matter on this floor.
“The right of the Honourable member is not yet determined by a court of law, he has the right of an appeal which appeal is still.”
Joe Wise in his ruling said, “The only thing that has to be verified is whether or not the appeal has been determined. That is a question of fact, it is not the question of law and I do not intend that we do that at this moment. I will discuss that with leadership and whatever steps we have to take we will take after that.”
A Court of Appeal in Cape Coast on Tuesday, March 22 struck out the appeal by James Gyakye Quayson for non-compliance with court procedures.
Quayson had filed an appeal that was challenging a High court ruling that declared new parliamentary elections should be organised in the constituency.
The presiding judge, Irene Charity Larbi, ruled that the MP failed to comply with the court’s directives to submit his written submission within a stipulated time.
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