Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, the minority leader in parliament, has responded to the Supreme Court's order requesting that James Gyakye Quayson's name be removed as a member of parliament from the Assin North constituency.
Dr. Ato Forson asserted in a press release published on Wednesday in response to the Supreme Court's decision that "the intention of Ghana's constitution's framers is not to allow a dual citizen to perform the functions of a Member of Parliament."
According to his reasoning, "James Gyakye Quayson was not a dual citizen at the time of his election, nor was he a dual citizen at the time he took the oath of office as a Member of Parliament."
Therefore, it is perplexing that the Supreme Court may order the expulsion of a person who has been legitimately elected as a Member of Parliament from Parliament.
Contrary to what the Minority Leader believes, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that James Gyakye Quayson's election as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin North in the Central Region was unlawful.
A seven-member Supreme Court bench unanimously decided on Wednesday morning (May 17, 2023) to order Parliament to remove Mr. Quayson's name from the list of MPs, according to Emmanuel Ebo Hawkson of Graphic Online.
The court determined that Mr. Quayson's election violated Article 94(2)(a) of the 1992 Constitution since, at the time he filed to run for office, he was unable to serve as a lawmaker because he had not renounced his dual citizenship.
Therefore, the court ruled that Mr. Quayson's filing to run for office, the EC's decision to permit him to run for office, and his swearing-in as a member of Parliament were all illegal, invalid, and void.
The court's seven-member panel, which included Justices Emmanuel Yonny Kulendi, Barbara Ackah-Ayensu, Prof. Henrietta Mensa-Bonsu, Nene Amegatcher, Mariama Owusu, Gertrude Torkornoo, and Mariama Owusu, was presided over by Justice Jones Dotse.
By June 7 of this year, the court's register will have all the justifications for its judgment, according to the court.
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