NDC Planning To Cause Violence At Assin North Bye-Election -Owusu Bempah

Ernest Owusu Bempah, a Deputy Communications Director of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) has accused the National Democratic Congress (NDC) of using inferior tactics in the run-up to the Assin North by-election.

He claimed that the NDC has been telling lies to get cheap political advantage.

“It is quite upsetting that the NDC have come to Assin North to deceive and engage in dialogue there by employing a variety of communist inferior strategies. It may be beneficial for their politics right now, but it hurts and makes it harder for our descendants’ democracy to continue once we leave the stage.NDC’s motive is to cause violence at Assin North by-election ,” Ernest Owusu Bempah told Kwaku Owusu Adjei on Adwenekasa on Accra-based Original FM 91.9.

Ernest Owusu Bempah claimed that the NPP has sent out all of its officials, who are assiduously canvassing for votes on the ground.

“NPP is actively engaged in grassroots work. Our whole national and regional executive team has been stationed here. They are organizing and engaging at the location this morning. All the lies that the NDC is spreading will be debunked by us. As though falsehoods are a major part of politics. The NDC is departing from reasoned discourse and speaking outright lies and falsehoods,”he added.

Background

The by-election has become necessary after a seven-member panel of the Supreme Court unanimously declared as unconstitutional, the election of Mr Quayson as MP in 2020.

“Parliament is ordered to expunge the name of first defendant (James Gyakye Quayson) as Member of Parliament for Assin North Constituency,” the court ruled.

The court held that the whole process leading to the election of Mr Quayson – filing of nomination forms, election itself and swearing-in, were all in violation of Article 94(2)(a) of the 1992 Constitution, which bars a person with dual citizenship from contesting as an MP.

It was the considered view of the court that as of the time Mr Quayson filed his nomination forms in October 2020 to contest for the Assin North seat, he had not renounced his Canadian citizenship and, therefore, was not qualified per Article 94(2)(a) of the Constitution.

In view of that the court further held that the Electoral Commission (EC) also violated Article 94(2)(a) of the Constitution when it permitted Mr Quayson to contest the election.