Assin North Constituency and the story of James Gyakye Quayson

Assin north is one of the swing seat in the political space so far as election of the people’s representative is concern in Ghana. This constituency was split from the current Assin Central constituency which is in the people’s representation of Kennedy Ohene Agyapong in the year 2012.

The constituency had it first representation in parliament in the name of Samuel Ambere as the first Member of Parliament under the Mills/ Mahama Administration.

Due to his strong lobbying skills, there were many that came in the constituency as a Member of Parliament which few include, Assin Akonfudi Poly Clinic, Assin Scenhem cocoa road Project, Assin Amoakrom D/A primary school, Assin Akonfudi Ultra Modern community center and many other projects but unfortunately lost the seat in 2016 to the NPP candidate Abena Duruwah Mensah who was branded in a way that I will not talk about it, but whoever that wants to know can go down to the constituency and ask of it.

Abena Duruwah Mensah came into office and for the whole 4 years the people of Assin north could not see any development under her stewardship as an MP, what pains the people of Assin North which constituted to her lost in 2020 was that, she was no where be found in the constituency till the day of election 2020 where she saw that the political season is due again to seek the people’s mandate to represent them, but since Assin North seat is one of the seat that if you are an MP and if the people will want to renew your mandate, they base on your 2 to 3 years service to determine weather you will be given the nod again or not.

The MP upon proper assessment by the constituents saw she was not the MP the people could trust so voted her out and brought in James Gyakye Quayson in 2020.

James Gyakye Quayson who came in 2012 and 2016 primaries but didn’t get the nod in his primaries and for that matter, the NDC party leadership after Samuel Ambere had pulled out in 2020 primaries gave the big chance for him to go unopposed and won the 2020 elections on the ticket of NDC over 3000 votes margin against the then Incumbent NPP MP, Abena Duruwah Mensah.

James Gyakye Quayson even at the time when he was not an MP, since he is an indigen of Assin Breku, which is the district capital of Assin North constituency was doing his best in development which an xxample is the Assin Breku Community Debur grounds which if you go today you will see it boldly written, “Donated by James Joe Quayson”.

The constituency saw his good leadership and had the trust in him to be the truth and accountable man whom if he gets the nod will serve the people well and that gingered the people of Assin North. I remember at my branch a young man got very angry because he was denied not to vote after he got to the polling station when it was raining very hard, the guy reach the polling station 30 minutes time for the closed of voting and since he was denied, he knelt down in the rain till the ballot was counted and the winner of both presidential and parliamentary candidate was declared at the branch.

James Gyakye Quayson after all election results was coalited was declared winner as the MP elect by the District electoral commission officer.

When election 2020 campaign was in progress by all parties, we were in the constituency when the constituents heard that the said Member of Parliament is not a Ghanaian by some individuals, who claim to be “concern citizens of Assin” raising issues of the MP been a dual citizen, to the extent of petitioning the electoral Commission of Ghana to review the MP’s documents he had submitted to their office.

This made the electoral Commission even before the election called the MP after he has submitted his documents and all other necessary documents that showed that he is qualifed to contest the seat. The EC went through his documents in response to the petition of the group again and said the man qualifies and was cleared to go and contest the seat.

After the Man has won and needed to represent his people another news came again that a certain man in Assin Breku has gone to the court to file a case against the MP seeking the court to restrain the MP from going to parliament, because he thinks the man doesn’t qualify to stand for MP. From there, the people of Assin North were heart broken because they saw they had done an empty work, and that day, all you could here in various town is that, the MP cannot go to Parliament to swear in as an MP by our NPP brothers all because they saw the Parliamentary numbers was 137-137 with one independent candidate, who suffered humiliation by the NPP leadership during their primaries and could not determine which side he could do business with after he has been sworn in as Independent candidate, but lastly upon the heated argument that went on the floor of Parliament gave the MP the way through to represent his people.

After some few months again, all that the constituents could hear is that, finally the man has been injuncted by the apex court in cape cost by a 5-2 decision to the extent that he should not stand anywhere to call himself an MP not to think of going near the Parliament House of Ghana. This news broke the heart of the people of Assin north and for about a year now the MP has been restrained from all his parliamentary duties to the constituency and all his common fund in the development of the constituency.

From the time of his restriction, what even motivates the people of Assin north is that, upon the problems the man is going through, whenever he is interviewed on this case, it looks like he never give up in the up and down in court but still stand firmly to serve his constituency and mother GHANA. And what the people of Assin north is also saying is, they are forever with the man because they see the man to be the most truthful and accountable MP the constituency has gotten and will forever vote massively for him any day and anytime he contest the seat when the court comes with the final ruling on the case.