Former President, John Dramani Mahama and his 2020 presidential running-mate Prof. Naana Opoku Agyeman have arrive at Parliament to witness the swearing-in of newly elected Member of Parliament for Assin North, James Gyakye Quayson.
The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, will administer the oath of office to James Gyakye Quayson, the newly elected representative for Assin North, today, Tuesday, July 4, 2023.
In a short video sighted by InsightNewsgh.com shared by JoyNews on Twitter, Mahama and Prof. Naana Opoku Agyeman were captured entering the Parliament House to support Gyakye Quayson.
Watch the video below;
John Mahama and Prof. Naana Opoku Agyeman arrive for James Gyakye Quayson's swearing-in. #ElectionHQ pic.twitter.com/x39zrS46WV
— JoyNews (@JoyNewsOnTV) July 4, 2023
This follows his resounding victory in the by-election last week.
The Supreme Court’s decision ordering Parliament to remove his name from its list of MPs forced the need for the by-election.
Despite being subject to a criminal investigation into the dual citizenship claims that cost him his seat, Mr. Gyakye Quayson won by a larger margin with 17,245 votes, or 57.56% of the total number of valid votes.
Charles Opoku of the NPP secured second place with 12,630 votes, or 42.15% of the total valid votes, while Bernice Enam Sefanu of the Liberal Party of Ghana received just 87 votes, or 0.29%.
Officials from the Electoral Commission noted that the voter turnout was extremely high at 74.23%.
He is currently being prosecuted by the Attorney-General’s Office on forgery and perjury charges.
Due to the fact that he had not yet renounced his Canadian citizenship at the time of filing his nominations for the 2020 election, he is accused of misleading a public official and making false declarations.
However, Mr. Quayson has requested a stay of proceedings while an appeal is pending in a motion on notice he filed with the High Court.
He is asking for a court order to put the trial on hold until the outcome of his appeal, which was filed on June 27, 2023.
