Assin North: Whatever they do NDC is behind Gyakye Quayson — Mahama

Speaking at a rally at the Methodist School Park in Assin Breku to wrap up the party's Thank You tour, Mahama said whether the government continues to prosecute Gyakye Quayson or not, the NDC is behind him wherever he goes.

"For me, if they continue or not or stop or not, all I will say is whatever they do, we in the NDC are behind John Quayson," he said.

James Gyakye Quayson is facing trial for perjury at the High Court in Accra.

He is facing charges of forgery and perjury in relation to certain alleged offences in the run-up to the 2020 Assin North parliamentary election.

He pleaded not guilty to five counts of forgery of passport or travel certificate, knowingly making a false statutory declaration, perjury, and false declaration for office.

It is the case of the prosecution that Quayson allegedly made a false statement to the Passport Office that he did not hold a passport to another country when he applied for a Ghanaian Passport.

Earlier, the Dormaahene appealed to the A-G to drop the criminal charges against Quayson.

He insisted that it was needless for the Attorney General to continue the case after the chiefs and people of the Assin North constituency re-elected Quayson.

Oseadeeyo Agyemang Badu who doubles as the President of the Bono Regional House of Chiefs said the law has a provision that permitted the A-G to discontinue any case if citizens were not interested.

He said continuing with the criminal trial was an insult to Ghanaians and the people of Assin North.

He added that he does not see any benefits coming to the country, should the A-G decide to continue to prosecute James Gyakye Quayson, and that prosecuting him will prevent him from doing his job as a legislator.

Speaking at the Bono, Bono East, Ahafo, and Western North regional version of the Professor John Evans Atta Mills Commemorative Lecture in Sunyani on Saturday, July 1, 2023, he said "Mr. President [Nana Addo], you know I love you, this matter cannot go on."

Gyakye Quayson won the Assin North has won by-election held in the constituency.

His win defied a series of predictions in the run-up to the elections that went against his performance in the election.

Quayson garnered 17,245 votes representing 57.56 percent to defeat the New Patriotic Party (NPP) candidate, Charles Opoku, who secured 12,630 votes representing 42.15 percent of the total votes cast.

The third candidate, Bernice Enyonam Sefenu of the Liberal Party of Ghana (LPG) managed 87 votes representing 0.29 percent.

Quayson won the seat during the 2020 presidential and parliamentary elections after securing 17,498 votes, representing 55.21 percent as against the incumbent, Abena Durowaa Mensah who garnered 14,193 votes representing 44.79 percent.