Blame Ofosu Ampofo And Asiedu Nketia For Assin North MP's Woes - Allotey Jacobs To NDC

Social commentator, Bernard Allotey Jacobs says the embattled Assin North Member of Parliament, James Gyakye Quayson should blame the headquarters of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) for the invalidation of his parliamentary membership.

The Supreme Court has ruled that Mr. Gyakye Quayson should stop holding himself as an MP until determination of a case filed against the legitimacy of his election on grounds that he holds dual citizenship.

He is said to have failed to renounce his dual citizenship, yet contested the 2020 Parliamentary elections and won to represent the Assin North constituency.

The Apex Court, by a majority ruling, said; "The MP is restrained from holding himself as MP for Assin North and restrained from attending Parliament to conduct business on behalf of the people of Assin North. The restriction remains until the final determination of the substantive matter. We direct that the case hearing be expedited."

Touching on the topic during Peace FM's panel discussion programme ''Kokrokoo'', Allotey Jacobs confirmed revelations by some members of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) that Mr. Gyakye Quayson was disqualified by the NDC in 2016 when he filed to contest the party's primaries.

Spilling the beans, Allotey Jacobs said Mr. Gyakye Quayson was rejected twice by the NDC, in 2012 and 2016, for same reasons that he hadn't renounced his dual citizenship.

According to him, he was the Chairman of the party's Vetting Committee that rejected Mr. Quayson disclosing he had demanded that he (Gyakye Quayson) presents documents showing he was no longer a citizen of Canada but the sanctioned MP failed to do so.

''I disqualified him'', he stated, adding that Mr. Gyakye Quayson has refused to renounce his dual citizenship because of a game he is playing which is ''he didn't want to risk losing his Canadian citizenship because he was unsure of winning the Parliamentary elections. So, he was playing a safe game where if he loses the elections, he would still hold on to his dual citizenship''.

Allotey Jacobs blamed the leadership of the NDC for urging Mr. Gyakye Quayson on for him to face another fiasco in his pursuit to become a Member of Parliament.

''The problem that Gyakye Quayson is facing currently, the National Chairman and General Secretary of the NDC should be blamed. When he sent a petition to them, did they accept that petition? Some of the members of the NDC in the constituency in Assin North sent the petition. Gyakye Quayson's father happens to be a comrade...and the father is highly respected in the Assin area of all the traditional areas'', he fumed.