Former President John Dramani Mahama on Tuesday led the National Executives of the opposition National Democratic Congress, NDC, to Parliament to witness the swearing-in of the embattled Member of Parliament-elect for Assin North, James Gyakye Quayson.
The embattled MP on Tuesday was sworn into office by the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin.
This comes after his resounding victory in last week’s by-election which was necessitated by a ruling by the Supreme Court that ordered Parliament to expunge his name from its records as an MP.
Despite facing a criminal trial over the dual citizenship allegations that led to the loss of his seat, Mr. Quayson secured a wider margin of victory with 17,245 votes, representing 57.56% of valid votes.
The NPP’s Charles Opoku received 12,630 votes or 42.15% of valid votes to secure the second position, while Bernice Enam Sefanu of the Liberal Party of Ghana obtained only 87 votes or 0.29%.
With a turnout of 74.23%, officials of the Electoral Commission noted that the voter turnout was very high compared to regular by-election turn out.
Former President John Mahama after the polls expressed gratitude to the people of Assin North in the Central Region for the victory given to James Gyakye Quayson.
On Wednesday, June 28, former President Mahama, who visited the Assin North Constituency twice to campaign before the by-election, took to his official Twitter page to thank the electorate.
The former President in a post on his Twitter page said ’’A big thank you, Assin North, for supporting James Gyakye Quayson and rejecting the non-performing NPP in the by-election. Your vote for Justice and Development is truly inspiring. Let’s keep working together to build the Ghana we all dream of’’.
Currently, Mr. Quayson is facing charges of forgery and perjury after being charged by the Attorney-General’s Office. He is accused of deceiving a public officer and making false declarations when filing nominations for the 2020 election, as he had not renounced his Canadian citizenship at the time.
However, Mr. Quayson has filed a motion on notice at the High Court requesting a stay of proceedings pending the outcome of an appeal.
He is seeking an order to halt the ongoing trial until the appeal, filed on June 27, 2023, is determined.
-BY Daniel Bampoe