Investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni has said questions about national allegiance are central to Ghana’s restrictions on dual citizens holding certain public offices.
In a Facebook post, he referred to the oath taken by people who become citizens of the United States, noting that it includes a pledge to support and defend the country’s Constitution and, where required by law, serve in its armed forces.
“So, if a person has sworn to take up arms to defend the United States and is a Minister of Defence in Ghana, an MP, or even the President, where will his allegiance lie?” he asked.
He continued, “What if America’s ‘enemy’ at some point becomes Ghana? Will that person bear arms, figuratively or literally, for Ghana or the United States if they are serving in a sensitive public office in Ghana?”
Awuni cited Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister James Gyakye Quayson as an example, noting that the ministry is responsible for Ghana’s external relations.
“Gyakye Quayson is currently Ghana’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. That ministry is responsible for our external relations and foreign interests. I see nothing wrong with a law requiring him to renounce his allegiance to a foreign country,” he wrote.
He also referred to former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta and Ernest Akore, mentioning their ties to the United States as part of his broader argument for retaining the current law.
According to Awuni, considerations about national allegiance reinforce his support for maintaining the existing legal requirement for dual citizens seeking certain public offices.
