There is trouble heading towards the camp of the Member of Parliament-elect for Nsuta-Beposo-Kwamang Constituency in the Ashanti Region as reports claim she holds a dual citizenship.
Adelaide Ntim, is believed to be carrying a Ghanaian passport which makes her a Ghana citizen.
She holds another passport; an American passport which makes her an American citizen too.
Details of Adelaide’s American passport says it was issued to her on 25th June 2018 by American’s Department of State.
It gave her date of birth as 24th June 1971.
The passport number is 594869205 and it expires on 24th June 2028.
Details of her Ghanaian passport are not yet known but it is not clear if she has renounced her American citizenship ahead of taking part in the just-end Parliamentary elections as a parliamentary candidate on the ticket of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Meanwhile, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has challenged the NPP’s claim that the newly-elected Member of Parliament for Assin North in Central, James Gyakye Quayson holds dual citizenship; being a Ghanaian and Canadian.
The party in a letter signed by its Communications Director, Lawyer Kakra Essamuah insisted that Mr. Quayson renounced his Canadian citizenship in 2019 and no longer owes allegiance to that country.
The NPP, had written to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs asking for an inquiry into the current citizenship status of the MP-elect following their claim.
The country’s constitution frowns upon any instance of an elected Member of Parliament being a citizen of another country in addition to being a Ghanaian.
The NPP’s claim, if found to be true constitutes grounds for the said MP-elect to be removed.
But Mr Essamuah’s letter said the MP-elect is now “a full citizen of Ghana who owes no allegiance whatsoever to any other country.
He is a Ghanaian in law and in fact and qualifies to be a Member of Parliament according to the laws of Ghana.”
It said,James Gyakye Quayson duly qualifies for his parliamentary seat since he renounced his citizenship of Canada long ago.
The NDC said a similar claim was made against the MP-elect before the 2020 polls to which he responded by furnishing the EC with all relevant documents to prove his full citizenship of Ghana.
“James G. Quayson, who has resided for some time past in Canada, renounced his Canadian citizenship since December 19th, 2019 and has accordingly been issued with a Renunciation Certificate by the Canadian authorities to that effect. Indeed this matter was raised by a group calling itself Concerned Citizens of Assin-North Constituency prior to the elections. Upon a petition to the Electoral Commission, Hon. Quayson was invited by the EC to appear before it on the 24th to the 27th of November, 2020, and after providing all necessary documentation to establish his full citizenship as a Ghanaian, the EC cleared him to contest the elections,” the part said.
It said Ghanaians should disregard the NPP’s claim as one lacking basis.
Source: The Herald