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Supreme Court’s ruling on Quayson’s case worst so far – Kwaku Azar
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A fellow at the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD- Ghana), Professor Stephen Kwaku Asare popularly known as Kwaku Azar, has described as the worst judgement, the Supreme Court’s ruling that declared the election of the Member of Parliament for Assin North, James Gyakye Quayson null and void.
The Supreme Court in its ruling directed Parliament to expunge from its records Mr. Quayson’s name. Parliament later declared the seat vacant paving way for a by-election in Assin North on June 27.
The Supreme Court ruled that Mr. Quayson was not qualified to contest the 2020 parliamentary elections in the Assin North Constituency at the time he filed his nomination forms on October 9, 2020.
In an interview on the Point of View on Citi TV on June 14, Kwaku Azar described as bizarre the Supreme Court’s ruling and added that the case is filled with a plethora of errors.
“Of all the Ghanaian cases I have seen, this one stands out as almost the worst, because when you read the case, there is a plethora of errors. From misinterpreting the Constitution to shredding statues to inserting timelines where there are no timelines. It’s almost as if the court decided we are going to remove this guy [Quayson] for whatever reason. And we don’t care how many laws we break or how many rules we violate. We are going to do it anyway,” Kwaku Azar.
He explained that a person can owe allegiance to a country for a variety of reasons.
“It’s almost like me saying that allegiance and citizenship are inexplicably tied, so when the president swears the oath of allegiance, he’s swearing the oath of citizenship. That is completely bizarre. I have never heard such strange reasoning. One can owe allegiance to a country for a variety of reasons, citizenship is only one of them. People who are not citizens owe allegiance to the country, because they must follow the rules, the government must protect them. We call that local allegiance. When the president swears the oath of allegiance, he’s swearing an occupation-related allegiance,” he avowed.
Source: Citinewsroom
The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has taken note of public allegations of extortion and related conduct made against the Minority Leader of Parliament, Alexander Afenyo-Markin.
The allegations were made by the Chief Executive of the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod), Sammy Gyamfi.
In a brief statement, the OSP said it has also received a joint petition submitted by two persons, as well as two separate petitions from other persons, in relation to the same allegations.
“Given the nature of the allegations, the OSP will assess the case and determine whether it falls within its statutory mandate and whether further investigative action is warranted,” the statement said.
The development comes amid a heated public feud between the Minority in Parliament and the leadership of GoldBod over the operations of the Domestic Gold Purchase Programme.
The Minority, led by Afenyo-Markin, has accused GoldBod and the Bank of Ghana of causing a loss of over $1.7 billion, citing the International Monetary Fund’s August 2026 report. The Minority has vowed to pursue the matter as Parliament has reconvened for an emergency sitting.
GoldBod, on the other hand, has rejected claims by some NPP MPs, including Tano South MP Dr Gideon Boako, that it owes the Bank of Ghana GH¢1 billion in overdrafts, describing the claim as “false and malicious.”
In the latest twist, GoldBod CEO Sammy Gyamfi has accused the Minority Leader of extortion and related conduct, an allegation that has triggered petitions to the OSP.
The OSP is mandated under Act 959 to investigate and prosecute specific cases of alleged or suspected corruption and corruption-related offences involving public officers and politically exposed persons.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Justin Kodua Frimpong, has filed his nomination to contest the position of General Secretary again as the party begins its rebuilding efforts ahead of the 2028 general elections.
He was accompanied by party stalwarts and supporters who were in high spirits, expressing confidence that he is the right person to hold the position.
Speaking after filing his nomination, Mr Kodua Frimpong assured the rank and file of the party that he would not disappoint them.
“I can assure you that the faith the rank and file of the party have had in me, I will never disappoint them,” he said.
He also pledged to run a clean campaign devoid of personal attacks.
“I can assure you that our internal campaign will be devoid of personal attacks,” he told his fellow contestants and the rank and file of the party as he seeks to retain his position.
His tenure has seen the party through the 2024 general elections, where the NPP lost power to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) after eight years in government.
The party is currently in a rebuilding phase, with internal elections scheduled to elect new national executives to lead its reorganization towards the 2028 polls.
The General Secretary position is considered one of the most influential in the party’s administrative structure, responsible for the day-to-day running of the party secretariat and implementation of party decisions.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
