James Gyakye Quayson of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) won the parliamentary seat for Assin North constituency in a keenly contested by-election held on Tuesday June 27, 2023.
Quayson polled 17,245 votes representing 57.56 percent of the valid votes cast with the New Patriotic Party (NPP) candidate, Charles Opoku pulling 12,630 votes representing 42.15 percent and Sefenu Bernice Enyonam of Liberal Party of Ghana (LPG) picking 87 votes representing 0.29 percent.
A total of 41,168 registered voters were expected to cast their ballot in 99 polling stations across the Assin-North Constituency in the Central Region to elect a Member of Parliament to lead the people.
A total of 30,418 voters casted their votes with 29,962 valid votes and 456 rejected votes.
The seat was declared vacant as a result of a Supreme Court decision for the name of James Gyakye Quayson to be expunged from parliament, the area received intense political activities in the run-up to today’s elections.
The Returning Officer for the election, Kofi Tsibu declared James Gyakye Quayson winner by raising his hand at the Youth Centre at Assin Bereku at 9:50 pm.
Background ( credit ; graphiconline )
There used to be two constituencies in the Assin area of the Central Region – Assin South and Assin North.
In 2012, the Electoral Commission carved the Assin Central seat and Kennedy Agyapong’s area became Assin Central.
The NDC won the Assin North seat in 2012 with Samuel Ambre. In 2016, the NPP snatched it from the NDC with Abena Durowaa Mensah.
In 2020, the NDC won it back with James Gyakye Quayson beating the incumbent Abena Durowaa Mensah.
Quayson used to be a dual citizen with allegiance to Canada and Ghana.
Prior to the 2020 parliamentary election, he had initiated moves with an application to renounce his Canadian citizenship but had not received his renunciation certificate at the time of filing with the EC to contest.
Per the Supreme Court’s interpretation of the 1992 Constitution, since Quayson had not received his renunciation certificate, he was still a Canadian citizen at the time he filed with the Electoral Commission to contest the 2020 election, and so he was therefore not qualified.
The 2020 parliamentary election results at Assin North was therefore annulled and the seat was declared vacant.
With his Canadian citizenship renunciation certificate currently in his grip as he received it later in 2020, he was therefore now qualified to contest and so the NDC gave him the nod to re-contest.
