The Parliamentary election results for the 2020 general elections were one that took many keen followers of Ghana’s politics by surprise.
In what has now popularly been referred to as a hung parliament, both the New Patriotic Party and the National Democratic Congress had 137 MPs each with one independent candidate – the Fomena MP, Andrew Asiamah.
Thus, the inauguration of the 8th Parliament was one to look forward to as conversations had already begun on which party will have its nominee secure the Speakership position and which party will sit on the Majority side of the house.
Again, another interesting thing many were following was whether or not Assin North MP-elect, James Gyakye Quayson was going to be present in the House as a Cape Coast High Court on Wednesday, January 6, 2021, granted an injunction restraining him from being sworn-in as an MP the following day.
However, according to reports at the time, the MP was nowhere to be found for the court papers to be served on him.
In the latest Joy News Hotline documentary titled “Ghana’s Hung Parliament; a Blessing or a Curse?†Minority Chief Whip Mohammed-Muntaka Mubarak said he together with some other colleagues “hid” James Gyakye Quayson after finding out there was a ploy to have the NDC MP numbers reduced.
He also explained the strategy the Minority side adopted going into the inauguration of the 8th Parliament.
“In my caucus, we call them the back boys. It’s four objectives. During our meetings, we got to know that they were targeting Assin North so our first objective was to get the Assin North MP into the chamber to avoid service and get into the Chamber without being served. It was a political strategy.
“Two, we have to sit on the Majority side. Three, we must ensure that there is secret balloting in line with the Constitution and Standing Orders and four, we must elect the speaker.Â
“Because I was hiding him, I took siege of him, I took his phone, I put his phone off and gave him a place where he could do everything. He could be given food and everything but then he is not supposed to seen by anybody not even outside and only those who were in charge especially the leader of the ones who was responsible for getting him into the chamber was the only one who knew where he was and me that’s it.
“If a court in Cape coast is looking for someone to serve…they should look for him,†he added.
Quayson on January 7, 2021, made his way into Parliament and amidst protestation, participated in the election of the speaker with the Clerk warning that Parliament cannot be held responsible for the consequences that may arise from his decision to vote.
He was later the same day sworn in as a member of Parliament.
At present, the Supreme Court has directed the Registrar to serve James Gyekye Quayson as an individual, not MP, in a case where an NPP member is seeking on order to bar him from holding himself as a lawmaker as per an earlier ruling by a lower court.
Source: www.ghanaweb.com