President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has denied claims of being behind the prosecution of James Gyakye Quayson.
According to him, he has never interfered in the work of the judiciary throughout his stay in office as President.
The President’s response follows the claims made by former President John Dramani Mahama that the government led by President Akufo-Addo is influencing the court in the criminal trial of Mr. Quayson.
Addressing NDC supporters at Assin– Breku, Mr Mahama said the decision by the Supreme Court is a “gross injustice” and an “affront” to democracy, adding that “We’ve seen the cardinal sin of the Fourth Republic which is the disenfranchisement of the people of SALL. “For one whole term, they’ve not had a Member of Parliament.”
Mr. Mahama added that “But even if we put that aside, the people of Assin North elected a person to represent them in Parliament. This government has manipulated the judiciary in such a way that they’ve injuncted the Member of [Parliament for] Assin North’’.
Mr. Mahama added that “So, even though he is the elected member, he cannot perform the duties of an MP. That is a gross injustice and it is an affront to our democracy.”
Mr. Mahama who recently blasted the High Court over its decision to hear the case against James Gyakye Quayson every day stated that the NPP allegations against James Gyakye Quayson were nothing more than a strategic campaign, adding that if they vote for Quayson the NPP can never jail him.
Gyakye Quayson, since his election as MP for the Assin North Constituency has been battling criminal charges for holding dual citizenship of Ghana and Canada respectively.
The Deputy General Secretary of the NDC, Mustapha Gbande, recently also said People believe that government machinery is trying to influence the court to do injustice to Gyakye Quayson, but we don’t believe that he has done any criminality, or he has committed any crime. His lovers are going to be campaigning in his absence and then also see him through the court case’’.
‘’So you cannot pretend to feel what he is feeling, he is not in it alone, he is in it with the party and the party is solidly behind him and Ghanaians are solidly behind him and the people of Assin North are solidly behind him’, ’ he stated.
Mr. Mahama also during a campaign for Gyakye Quayson criticized the NPP, calling them professional liars who should not be taken seriously.
He revealed that some members of the NPP had threatened to jail his younger brother, Ibrahim Mahama, on false charges of theft but have not been able to imprison him.
According to the ex-president, the NPP’s claims are mere lies and that the same tactics are being used against Gyakye Quayson.
For this reason, he said the people should consider those assertions and false allegations which don’t hold water.
He said, there is no way, Gyakye Quayson would be imprisoned so far as the NDC is concerned.
Mr. Mahama added that the embattled MP has committed no atrocity to contest in the Assin North by-election for him to be jailed, adding that NPP’s claim to convict Gyakye Quayson holds no water.
Akufo-Addo Reply
However, President Akufo-Addo on Sunday when addressing a rally at Assin–Breku dismissed claims that he was influencing the court against Mr. Quayson, adding that the laws of Ghana have caught up with him.
According to the President, “We should not support or vote for individuals who are entangled in legal controversies that may eventually lead them to face imprisonment.”
“We need someone who can come and help you. Someone who will work in your interest. I heard Gyakye Quayson say that even in prison, you people will vote for him, can he work from jail? We vote for people to go to Parliament to work, how can he work from prison? So don’t vote for someone who will end up in jail, vote for someone who can work to improve your lives,” President Akufo-Addo said.
A by-election in Assin North has become necessary after parliament wrote to the Electoral Commission to declare the seat vacant.
This followed a Supreme Court ruling that the Electoral Commission acted unconstitutionally in allowing Mr. Quayson to contest the 2020 parliamentary election without proof of him renouncing his Canadian Citizenship.
The apex court in its ruling ordered parliament to expunge James Gyakye Quayson’s name from its records as a Member of Parliament.
It further declared that his election was unconstitutional, null and void, and of no effect. His swearing-in was equally declared to be unconstitutional.
-BY Daniel Bampoe