The Majority Leader and Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, issued a cautionary statement to his counterpart, Minority Leader Cassiel Ato Forson, urging him to exercise caution in his remarks.
The caution came after Ato Forson made a submission regarding election violence during the upcoming Assin North by-election in Parliament on June 6, 2023.
During his welcome address, Ato Forson emphasized the need for the chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC) to demonstrate impartiality and for the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to prove his responsibility for the country’s domestic security.
He referred to the violent incident that occurred in Ayawaso West Wuogon, where innocent civilians were subjected to violence by party members dressed in uniforms.
However, Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu disagreed with Forson’s reference to Ayawaso West Wuogon, stating that the remark was unnecessary since more violence had been witnessed during the Chereponi by-election, which had favored the then ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC).
He further highlighted the peaceful nature of the recent Kumawu by-election, implying that the upcoming Assin North by-election should follow a similar trajectory.
Expressing his disapproval, Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu stated, “If you are talking about the most violent by-election that we have had in this country, it was at Chereponi when seven people were shot at point blank by an operative from the castle.”
Furthermore, the Majority Leader cautioned Ato Forson on the topic of electoral violence during by-elections, reminding him that he had not yet been confirmed as the minority leader.
The Assin North seat became vacant following a recent ruling by the Supreme Court of Ghana, which declared James Gyakye Quayson’s election as a Member of Parliament in 2020 as unconstitutional, null, and void. The court determined that Quayson held Canadian citizenship at the time of filing his nomination as the NDC’s parliamentary candidate. Consequently, the Electoral Commission scheduled a by-election in Assin North for June 27, 2023.
Despite facing criminal charges related to his 2020 election contest, the NDC has announced its intention to re-present Gyakye Quayson as its candidate for the upcoming by-election.
The issue of election violence and the preparations for the Assin North by-election are expected to be closely monitored by political observers and the public in the coming weeks.
