The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Parliamentary Candidate (PC) for Sekondi Constituency, Blay Nyameke Armah, has been directed by the General Legal Council (GLC) to produce his law school enrollment certificate or face prosecution.
The politician has been using the title “Lawyer” for some time now, which prompted certain individuals to seek clarification.
In a letter dated August 15, 2024, and signed by GLC Secretary Justice Cera Pamela Koranteng, the council directed Mr. Armah to submit the requested document for verification. Failure to do so will result in the matter being referred to the Attorney-General of the republic.
“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,” contents of the intercepted letter read.
Meanwhile, as far back as early February 2024, legal representatives of the parliamentary aspirant clarified in a statement that their client had never presented himself as a lawyer, and that the title “Lawyer” was merely a childhood nickname.
They explained that Mr. Armah was named after his grandfather, a well-known Sekondi-based lawyer called “Lawyer Blay.” Since he was named after his grandfather, relatives and friends have always called him by that name.
“Mr. Armah is an Nzema who was named after his grandfather, the famous Lawyer Blay, late of Sekondi. Having been named after such an illustrious member of the family, it is not surprising that members of his wider family initially, and thence friends and the public alike have addressed him as “Lawyer Blay” from his childhood to date,” the statement, signed by J. Opoku Agyei, Esq, indicated.
Also in the February press release, Mr. Armah’s lawyers detailed his legal education in the United Kingdom.
They indicated that, “The admiration for the ‘Lawyer Blay’ appellation convinced him to study law himself since he is already known as Lawyer Blay.”
“He pursued his legal education in the United Kingdom. In the United Kingdom, Mr. Armah went through the university system studying an Integrated Master’s in Law programme which is equivalent to a combination of the Bachelor of Laws (L.L.B) and the Master of Laws (L.L.M) degrees.
“He is on the Solicitors’ path having also completed the Legal Practice Course (LPC) and his training contract,” the statement added.
Meanwhile, the NDC PC himself clarified the issue in a recent radio interview, reiterating that the “Lawyer” title was just a nickname from his childhood.