Former President John Dramani Mahama has taken a swipe at his successor Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for passing comments he deems prejudicial to the ongoing criminal case involving James Gyakye Quayson.
On Sunday, June 25, while speaking at the Church of Pentecost in Assin Akonfudi in the Assin North Constituency in the Central Region, President Akufo-Addo insinuated that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Parliamentary Candidate in Tuesday’s by-elections is a candidate for prison.
“They say even if Gyakye Quayson is in jail they will vote for him, are we going to vote for someone who is going to prison?
“What benefits will the people derive from voting for such a person? We want someone when he is voted for can come to me and plan how to develop the constituency.”
But Mr Mahama reacted strongly to this and said the President’s comments are against the tenets of the 1992 Constitution and, indeed, democracy in Ghana.
“The president is wrong when he says that, because he is prejudicing the case in court,” the 2024 NDC Presidential Candidate said in an interview with TV3‘s Komla Klutse in Assin North.
He said the NDC stands by its assertion that the ruling of the Supreme Court to have the name of its 2020 Parliamentary Candidate expunged from Parliament after a decisive win over the incumbent was an error.
“Even justices of the court and professors of law have said that the Supreme Court erred in this judgement because the Constitution is clear,” he stressed.
“It says to be eligible to be an MP you should not owe allegiance and it is at the point of elections that that kicks in not when you are filling ordinary forms.
The Court ruled that Mr Gyakye Quayson held a Canadian citizenship before filing his nomination forms to contest the 2020 elections.
“We disagree with the Supreme Court. [James Gyakye Quayson] is not a prisoner and if the President said that it is unfortunate, it is against our democracy, it is against our laws. The president cannot prejudice a case in court.”
The by-election is slated to take place on Tuesday, June 27 and the NDC is maintaining Mr Gyakye Quayson as its candidate.
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has, however, gone for Charles Opoku, who is seen to split votes in the district capital Assin Breku, where the NDC PC had more votes in 2020 to beat incumbent Abena Durowaa Mensah.