New Patriotic Party (NPP) lawmaker for Suame, Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu believes the Assin North seat held by the opposition lawmaker, James Gyakye Quayson is vacant.
The Majority Leader is of the view that a court verdict on the Assin North case has now slashed the number of MPs in Ghana’s parliament from the current 275 to 274.
The lawmaker told JoyNews that most majority MPs side with his position on the matter.
“Why is it that they [Minority Caucus] are stressing on 136 and not 137? Because they know that the Assin North MP has been ousted by the Court,” he said.
Citing Article 97 of the 1992 Constitution, the Majority Leader insisted that there is automaticity that renders a seat vacant “If any circumstances arise such that if he were not a Member of Parliament would cause him to be disqualified or ineligible for election under Article 94 under this Constitution.”
For him, the embattled Assin North seat became automatically vacant the moment Mr. Quayson failed to prove to the judiciary that he qualified to run as a Parliamentary candidate in the 2020 election.
“There is that automaticity. Who says it must come from the mouth of somebody. So if the person decides not to make the pronouncement that means the [disqualified] MP will be there? No,” he stated.
Meanwhile, he insisted that in the “fullness of time” the law will take its course.
SOURCE: DAILY MAIL GH; Myjoyonline.com contributed to this story
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