Speaker of Parliament Seeks Clarity from Supreme Court on Quayson’s Ruling

Alban Bagbin, the Speaker of Parliament, has requested clarity from the Supreme Court regarding its recent directive to remove the name of former Member of Parliament for Assin North, James Gyakye Quayson, from the parliamentary records.

Bagbin’s request comes in response to concerns raised by some Members of Parliament regarding the implementation of the court’s order, as there is no clear procedure outlined in the standing orders of the house.

He emphasized the need for clarity, stating that the court’s order was based on a series of declaratory judgments, and it is crucial to understand the implications. He highlighted that the order did not specifically mention who should expunge Quayson’s name, but referred to the institution of Parliament as responsible for carrying out the directive.

Bagbin emphasized the importance of collective reasoning among members during a sitting to determine the way forward.

In May 2023, the Supreme Court ordered Parliament to remove James Gyakye Quayson’s name from its records, declaring the seat for Assin North vacant. This ruling paved the way for a by-election scheduled for June 27.

The court found that Quayson was ineligible to contest the 2020 parliamentary elections in the Assin North Constituency due to his failure to demonstrate renunciation of his Canadian citizenship at the time of filing nomination forms.

The Electoral Commission had granted him permission to contest without sufficient evidence of renunciation.

The unanimous ruling stated that “the qualification of holding only Ghanaian citizenship must be present at the time of nomination, and not any date thereafter.”

The court emphasized that individuals who hold citizenship of another country and file for nomination as a Member of Parliament must demonstrate that they no longer hold the citizenship of that country as of the nomination date.