The New Patriotic Party (NPP), which is in power in Ghana, has announced the dates for the primary election to choose a candidate for the Assin North Constituency.
According to a statement by the party’s General Secretary, Justin Kodua Frimpong, on Tuesday, May 30, nominations will open on Wednesday, May 31 and close on Thursday, June 1.
The primary election is necessary because the seat became vacant after the Supreme Court ruled that the former Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin North, James Gyakye Quayson, was ineligible to hold office.
The court found that Quayson had not renounced his Canadian citizenship before contesting in the 2020 general election, which violated Article 94(2)(a) of the 1992 Constitution. The article states that a person who owes allegiance to another country cannot be a member of Parliament.
Quayson, who belonged to the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), won the seat in 2020 with 55.2% of the votes. However, his victory was challenged by Michael Ankomah Nimfah, a resident of Assin Bereku, who filed a petition at the Cape Coast High Court.
The court declared Quayson’s election null and void in January 2021, but he appealed to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court upheld the lower court’s decision on May 17, 2023, and ordered Parliament to remove Quayson’s name from its records.
