The Supreme Court will hear the review application asking it to reconsider its decision of barring James Gyakye Quayson from holding himself as MP for the Assin North constituency on May 17.
Several days after the apex court ruling, the MP filed for a review on Tuesday, 26 April 2022.
The MP, in his latest application, said the 5-2 majority decision was a grave miscarriage of justice against him and the people of Assin North.
Among other things, Mr Quayson contends that the apex court lacked jurisdiction to determine the validity of a parliamentary election as it is the High Court that has such exclusive right.
He again emphasised that the Supreme Court failed to observe that the writ upon which it based its ruling sought to invite the apex court to enforce a High Court ruling.
“The majority decision was in patent and fundamental error and violated article 129(3) of the Constitution in assuming jurisdiction over the determination of the validity of a Parliamentary election and proceeding to grant the application for an interim injunction.
“The majority decision was in patent and fundamental error in failing to appreciate that the suit was, in reality, an attempt to enforce the decisions of the High Court disguised as an invocation of the original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court,” parts of the review application read.
The verdict of the Supreme Court was after a petition brought by Michael Ankomah Nimfah, a resident of Assin Bereku in the Central Region.
The petitioner insisted Mr Quayson was not qualified to contest the Assin North parliamentary seat at the time of filing his nomination.
He argued that the MP owed allegiance to another country other than Ghana.
Mr Ankomah Nimfah, by the petition, sought the Supreme Court’s interpretation of Article 94 (2) (a) of the 1992 Constituency.
The apex court, per the majority decision, said restraining Mr Quayson for a few weeks for the substantive case to be determined “will not occasion any irreparable loss or damage to applicant or anyone.”
In a 40-page judgement, the court said that “greater hardship, irreparable damage and inconvenience will be occasioned the constitution” should the embattled MP continue to perform parliamentary duties.
Aside from the 1992 constitution, the rule of law, the tenets of democracy, Assin North constituents, and Ghana will also be affected should the embattled MP continue to represent the constituents.
The judges noted that in the eyes of the law, the election of the first respondent (James Quayson) had been adjudged null, void and of no legal effect by the Cape Coast High Court.
According to the apex court, until the said judgment by the High Court is vacated, overturned or set aside, Mr Quayson cannot be said to be lawfully performing the duties of an Honourable Member of Parliament.
The judgement was delivered by Justices Jones Dotse, presiding, with Agnes Dordzie, Nene Amegatcher, Prof. Henrietta Mensah Bonsu, Mariama Owusu, Gertrude Torkornoo, and Emmanuel Yonny Kulendi, as panel members.
How it all started
A private citizen and a resident of Assin Berekum, Micheal Ankomah Nimfah, filed a suit at the Cape Coast High Court challenging the qualification of Mr Quayson as the MP for the area.
The plaintiff, a mason, averred that when Mr Quayson filed his nomination, he was still holding onto his Canadian citizenship and failed to denounce his citizenship as required by law.
Ghana’s laws bar dual citizens from holding public offices in Ghana.
In freezing the MP’s right to be in Parliament, the judge said: “the allegation contained is of grave nature, and he could not hold himself as MP.”
Also, the NDC MP-elect did not have the renunciation certificate to present before the court to confirm that he had indeed renounced his Canadian citizenship.
Although court documents showed the MP received his certificate on November 26, at the time he filed his nomination, he did not have the requisite qualification.
NPP strategy
On December 23, 2020, the governing New Patriotic Party sought to trigger a by-election by challenging the eligibility of James Quayson to contest in the Assin North parliamentary elections, but he won.
Legal practitioner, Gary Nimako, asked the Ghana Immigration Service to confirm if the NDC MP-elect had renounced his Canadian citizenship before the December 7 parliamentary elections.