The Office of Chief Justice, as well as the General Legal Council, are out with a scheme to maintain Andrew Kofi Egyapa Mercer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Seat, as the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Sekondi Constituency in the Western Region.
He had been in the seat since 2016 and his popularity has plummeted, but the two entities have threatened criminal action against the National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary candidate for the Sekondi Constituency, Blay Nyamekye Armah, for holding himself as a lawyer when he is not a qualified legal practitioner.
Shockingly, there are several petitions before the General Legal Council of people holding themselves as lawyers when they are not. The daughter of an ex-Speaker of Parliament’s name is before the Council. In one of the instances, a petition was filed by Charles William Zwennes, who was recently called to the bench as a Court of Appeal judge.
One agency head, who is an NPP Parliamentary aspirant in Accra, also has some questions to answer on his claim of being called to the English Bar.
Even President Nana Akufo-Addo and his Executive Secretary, Nana Asante Bediatuo, have also had the their legal qualifications questioned in the past, but without the General Legal Council stepping into the fray demanding answers.
Mr Armah, has since explained that he was named after the late RS Blay, a prominent lawyer who was once based in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis, and since his childhood, people, including Egyapa Mercer, his contender, have addressed him as “Lawyer Blay”.
The NDC candidate, insisted he had never stepped into a courtroom in Ghana, to practice as a lawyer.
Speaking to Channel One TV in the Sekondi Constituency, he said he had studied LLB at the University of Westminster in England, and done other courses to enable him to practice law only in the UK but not in Ghana.
The incumbent MP, Egyapa Mercer, who has been in office since 2016, has become very unpopular in the Sekondi, and signs are pointing to his defeat at the 2024 parliamentary election, and to ostensibly out with mafia tactics through the help of GLC to knock out Blay Nyamekye Armah, who had been his friend for years.
The NDC candidate’s billboards in the Sekondi Metropolis have “Lawyer” tagged to the name of Blay Nyamekye Armah suggesting he is a qualified lawyer. This interestingly irked the General Legal Council (GLC) to issue a stern warning to the NDC parliamentary candidate.
The GLC called on him to submit his enrollment details by the stipulated deadline or face potential prosecution.
The directive issued on August 15, 2024, was signed by Justice Cyra Pamela C. A. Koranteng, who is the Secretary of the General Legal Council and acting on behalf of the Chief Justice, the Council’s Chairperson.
In the letter, the General Legal Council addresses a complaint alleging that Armah has been presenting himself as a lawyer despite lacking the necessary legal qualifications.
Additionally, the letter cautions that if the lawyer fails to adhere to the directive, the case will be escalated to the Office of the Attorney-General for possible prosecution under Section 9(2) of the Legal Profession Act, 1960 (Act 32).
A letter from the GLC to the NDC parliamentary candidate reads “A complaint received by the General Legal Council indicated that you publicly hold yourself as a lawyer even though you are allegedly not qualified within the jurisdiction to do so.
“I have been directed by the Honourable Lady Chief Justice and Chairperson of the General Legal Council to request you to submit your Enrolment certificate for verification failing which you will be referred to the Office of the Attorney-General for prosecution pursuant to Section 9(2) of the Legal Profession Act, 1960 (Act 32).” Please take note for your strict compliance.”
This proactive stance by the GLC serves as a reminder of the importance of maintaining rigorous standards in the legal field and safeguarding the public’s trust in legal professionals.
A few weeks ago, Andrew Egyapa Mercer, the Minister for Tourism, Arts, and Culture and MP for Sekondi Constituency, accused his opponent in the upcoming December elections, Blay Armah Nyameke of deception.
Egyapa Mercer, claims that Mr Armah, who prominently labels himself as “Lawyer Blay Armah” on billboards and posters, is not a lawyer.
“He boldly writes on billboards and posters Lawyer Blay Armah—he is not a lawyer! You want to become the Member of Parliament for Sekondi through lies and deception? Is that the thing? The last candidate didn’t lie about himself. He [Blay Armah] has been living in London and because of the contest he’s here to share gifts,” Egyapa Mercer stated passionately.
He also emphasized his consistent presence and contributions in Sekondi, contrasting them with Blay Armah’s return from London. He mentioned various development projects he has been pushing for, including the Nkontompo Community Centre, ongoing work at the Effia-Nkwanta Hospital, and others.
Speaking to Beach FM on the sidelines of his campaign launch attended by numerous NPP supporters and executives, Andrew Egyapa Mercer, highlighted the importance of ongoing development projects in Sekondi.
“The development projects that I’m lobbying and fighting for Sekondi; just take a look at the community centre [Nkontompo Community Centre] that we’ve built here, go to Effia-Nkwanta Hospital works are ongoing on the phase 1 of the ultra-modern Medical University, the dual carriage road happening, the GH₵45 million Centre for National Culture project of which I have the commencement certificate from the Minister of Finance – in a week or two the work will commence and I’ll finish before December,” he elaborated.
He addressed criticisms about the pace of development, explaining that developing Sekondi is a gradual process and citing economic challenges post-2020 that have impacted progress. Despite these challenges, he assured the community of continued efforts to enhance infrastructure and services.
“My people understand me and if given the nod again, we will add up to what we’ve already done. I don’t care about what naysayers are saying. I’m in this business of bringing development to the people of Sekondi and that’s what I’m doing. The election we will win by the grace of God. I don’t care about Blay. How’s this even a contest? A man who is deceiving people that he is a lawyer?” Egyapa Mercer concluded.
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