Samuel Koku Anyidoho, the former Deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress, has alleged that James Gyakye Quayson, the party's 2020 parliamentary candidate for Assin North, was disqualified from contesting in the party's primaries on multiple occasions.

According to Koku, Gyakye Quayson was disqualified from contesting in the NDC's primaries in both 2012 and 2016 due to his possession of Canadian citizenship.

"Back to Gyakye Quayson, so in 2012 at the Central Region, Gyakye Quayson was disqualified at the vetting when Allotey Jacobs was then the propaganda secretary, and lawyer Adu Yeboah was the chairman. In 2016, Allotey became the chairman, and they still disqualified Gyakye Quayson for the same dual citizenship. Even in 2020, per my information — and don't forget that in 2016 I was deputy general secretary — my information is that in 2020 he was still disqualified at the regional level. So there is a history, there is a trend," alleged Koku while speaking on Atinka TV's The Agenda program.

Koku Anyidoho's revelation comes in the wake of a recent ruling by the Supreme Court of Ghana, which declared Gyakye Quayson's election as a Member of Parliament in 2020 as unconstitutional, null, and void.

According to the Supreme Court, Gyakye Quayson held Canadian citizenship at the time of filing his nomination as the NDC's parliamentary candidate in 2020.

The court's ruling led the Clerk of Parliament to declare the Assin North seat vacant.

Subsequently, the Electoral Commission has scheduled a by-election in Assin North for June 27, 2023, following the declaration by the Clerk.

Meanwhile, the NDC has stated its intention to re-present Gyakye Quayson as its candidate for the upcoming election, despite a criminal process brought against him in relation to his 2020 election contest.



GA