Frank Annoh-Dompreh is the Majority Chief Whip
• A court in Cape Coast has declared the election of James Gyakye Quayson in Assin North as null and void
• The Majority in Parliament say this is a vindication of their case all along
• They say the Minority should review of the ruling if they feel so aggrieved by it
The Majority in Parliament have stated that the ruling of the Cape Coast court that a rerun of the 2020 parliamentary election in the Assin North constituency be held, is a vindication for them.
According to Frank Annoh-Dompreh, the Majority Chief Whip, the ruling has come to sum up all the concerns they have been raising long before the elections and even after it, adding that they knew this day would come.
The Cape Coast court ruled that election of James Gyakye Quayson, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament for Assin North was null and void following a case of dual citizenship brought against him.
The ruling, delivered by Justice Kwasi Boakye said that the MP has been “restrained from holding himself out as Member of Parliament-elect for the Assin North constituency within the Central Region of the Republic of Ghana and further presenting himself to be sworn in as Member of Parliament-elect as such until the final determination of the petition.”
Reacting to the news, the Majority in Parliament said they saw this day coming and advised the NDC to take this as a lesson.
“It is important for us to recognize that as you recall, even before we were sworn in to be part of the 8th Parliament, we, as members of the Majority, had raised issues of eligibility in relation to the Assin North Member of Parliament-elect then.
“If you recall, there were dramatic representations even from our side. We had cautioned the implication of that decision, for the member to sit in and be part of that decision-making on that day, each one of you will bear witness and so today, we have been vindicated because from day one, we had made our point abundantly clear that the member was invalidly elected.
“If you look at the provisions in our law and the pieces of legislation that were applied: Article 94-2, Section 92 of the Representation Act, and then the Canadian Citizen Act, all put together, were the anchor of the ruling of the court,” he stated.
He has therefore urged the Minority to seek an appeal if they feel they have not been properly served justice and to stop dragging the executive into this matter.
“Be it as it may, any law-abiding citizen, when there is a court ruling and you don’t agree, in law, you need to file a review or go for an appeal.
“Don’t bring in the executive. We have built this country to the extent that we need to respect the separation of powers,” he said.
