Even If They Give Me A Bedroom In Court; Assin North Will Vote For Me – James Quayson3 min read

The embattled former Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin North, James Gyakye Quayson is upbeat he will win the impending by-election.

Mr Quayson says no amount of intimidation by the governing party will derail his campaign.

Speaking in an interview on Sunday, June 18, he said not even the ongoing criminal prosecution aspect of his case will make him lose the seat.

According to him, he is prepared to stand and fight for his constituents and nothing will change that desire.

“Even if they give me a bedroom in the court, Assin North will still vote for me. If they want to see me in the court every hour which means I can’t leave, they should give me a chamber and I will sleep there. I’m still going to stand strong and tall and fight for my people,” he said.

Processes are far advanced for the conduct of the Assin North bye-election on June 27, 2023.

Four parliamentary candidates are contesting the race.

Balloting has also concluded with the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) candidate, Charles Opoku picking the first slot.

A candidate on the ticket of the Liberal Party of Ghana, Sefanu Bernice Enyonam, picked second while the National Democratic Congress’ James Gyakye Quayson picked the third position.

An independent candidate, Abaidoo Agartha, is the fourth person on the ballot sheet.

The various candidates have currently intensified their campaigns in various communities.

The NDC insists that, the former Assin North Member of Parliament can still contest in the upcoming by-election in the constituency despite an ongoing criminal case against him.

Speaking recently on JoyFM, the NDC’s Director of Legal Affairs, Abraham Amaliba said Mr Quayson has not been found guilty of any crime.

“Until and unless he is convicted and sentenced, nothing bars him from contesting. So the advice given to the party is that as of November 2020 when he received his certificate of renunciation, he is qualified to contest any election including presidential elections,” he stated.

Although some have questioned the party’s decision to retain Mr Quayson, Mr Amaliba says as long as he can be found innocent, the NDC is ready to take a “calculated risk.”

“Is there the possibility of him being acquitted and discharged, if the answer is yes, that will be a calculated risk to take. If we are talking about whether or not the law court will sentence him, it can also acquit him,” he said.

In 2022, James Gyakye Quayson was slapped with charges including forgery and perjury by the Attorney-General’s Office.

He is also accused of deceiving a public officer and knowingly making a false declaration. The case was filed after the High Court in July, 2021 annulled the Assin North Parliamentary election results saying Mr. Quayson was not eligible to contest the polls.

In May 2023, the Supreme Court upheld the High Court’s decision stating that Mr Quayson was not qualified at the time of filing his nomination forms.

It further held that the EC allowing him to contest when he had not shown evidence of renunciation of his citizenship of Canada is unconstitutional.