The National Democratic Congress’ (NDC) Parliamentary candidate for Bortianor-Ngleshie Amanfro in the 2020 elections, Alexander Akuoko, has condemned the government for being discriminatory in the application of the country’s law.
According to him, the nation displays double standards by eagerly chasing after footballers with dual citizenship to play for the national team, whilst opposing them when the run for office.
“We need to relook at these things and be very careful. We desperately chase people to come and play for the Black Stars but when such people want to become Members of Parliament they are chased away and spoken against,” he stated.
The Cape Coast high court restrained James Gyakye Quayson from holding himself as the National Democratic Congress (NDC) MP for Assin North after Michael Ankomah – Nimfah, filed a parliamentary election petition at the Cape Coast high court challenging Quayson’s eligibility to be an MP.
He argued that the MP was not eligible because at the time he (Quayson) filed his nomination to stand as a parliamentary candidate, he was still a citizen of Canada. Such an act, he argued, was against the express provision of Article 94 (2)(a) of the 1992 constitution and Section 9(2) of the Representation of the People Act 1992 (PNDCL 284).
The case was presented before the Supreme Court where a seven-member Supreme Court panel presided over by Justice Jones Victor Mawulorm Dotse, by 5:2 majority decision, placed an injunction on James Gyakye Quayson from holding himself as Member of Parliament for the Assin North Constituency in the Central region.
Justices Jones Dotse, Mariama Owusu, Gertrude Torkornoo, Henrietta Mensah-Bonsu, and Yonny Kulendi, are the 5 justices who granted the injunction application while Justices Agnes Dordzie and Nene Amegatcher, dissented.
“The MP is restrained from holding himself as MP for Assin North and retrained from attending Parliament to conduct business on behalf of Assin north” the presiding judge, Justice Jones Dotse ruled.
Reacting to the ruling, Alexander Akuoku argued having dual citizenship does not mean one owes allegiance to a country other than their motherland.
“It could be that he has a Canadian passport because he moved out of Ghana due to economic hardships and that doesn’t mean he owes allegiance to Canada.”
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