The by-election in the Central Region's Assin North Constituency will take place on Tuesday, June 27, 2023, according to the Electoral Commission (EC).
The election of James Gyakye Quayson as the Member of Parliament (MP) for that seat for the National Democratic Congress was declared unlawful by the Supreme Court on Wednesday, May 17.
Nominations will be accepted at the Assin North District Office of the Commission from Monday, June 12, 2023, to Wednesday, June 14, 2023, between 9:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. each day, according to a statement released and signed yesterday by EC Chairperson Jean Mensa.
According to the announcement, starting on June 1, 2023, interested candidates can obtain the nomination forms on the Commission's website, www.ec.gov.gh.
In addition, the statement stated that "a prospective candidate may personally deliver, or cause to be delivered on his or her behalf by either the proposer or seconder of his or her nomination, the completed nomination forms to the Returning Officer at the Assiniboine North District Office of the Commission on the dates and times stated above".
Fees
The announcement further said that each candidate must pay GH 10,000 as part of the election filing cost.
The EC also mandated that all nomination forms be submitted in quadruplicate.
The signatures or marks of two registered voters serving as the proposer and seconder, as well as the support of 18 additional registered voters from the constituency, must appear on each candidate's nomination form.
"The candidate's permission to make the nomination must also be indicated on the nomination forms.
"A candidate shall, at the time of submitting his or her completed nomination forms, provide the Returning Officer with two copies of a recent post card (bust-sized) photograph against a red background, showing his or her full face and ears," the statement continued.
SC's choice
The Supreme Court of Ghana ordered Parliament to remove Mr. Quayson's name as a serving MP from its records in its ruling in the matter of Michael Ankomah Nimfah vs. James Gyakye Quayson, the Electoral Commission (EC), and the Attorney-General on May 17, 2023.
The court determined that the submission of nomination papers, the election itself, and the swearing-in of Mr. Quayson were all in contravention of dual citizenship, which is prohibited under Article 94(2)(a) of the 1992 Constitution, which forbids individuals from running for office as MPs.
The court reasoned that Mr. Quayson was ineligible under Article 94(2)(a) of the Constitution because he had not relinquished his Canadian citizenship as of the time he submitted his candidature paperwork in October 2020 to run for the Assiniboine North seat.
Due to this, the court further determined that by allowing Mr. Quayson to run for office, the EC also broke Article 94(2)(a) of the Constitution.
Parliament
Following the ruling, the EC was notified by letter from Parliament that the Assin North constituency was vacant.
The letter, dated May 29, 2023, was signed by Cyril Kwabena Nsiah, Clerk to Parliament.
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