He said the Electoral Commission (EC) must not hasten the processes to create a constituency for the residents of SALL adding that the government is working at ensuring that the problem is fixed.
ADVERTISEMENT
The people of SALL are being represented by the president - Richard Ahiagbah
Richard Ahiagbah, the Deputy Director of Research at the Office of the President, has said the people of the Santrokofi Akpafu, Likpe, Logba (SALL) don't have to worry about representation in Parliament because they are represented by their president.
Richard Ahiagbah
Recommended articles
His comments come at the back of the petition filed by the conveners of the #FixTheCountry Movement calling on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to remove the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission Jean Mensa and her deputies from office over the disenfranchisement of the people of SALL in the 2020 general elections.
The petitioners in a statement signed by Oliver Barker-Vormawor said: "they have faith that the normal constitutional process contemplated by the Constitutions to avenge infractions against it and our democracy will be upheld without fear nor favour and that their standing as mere citizens of this Republic does not disable them from obtaining justice, in the preserve of our Constitution."
But the former executive director of the Danquah Institute (DI) explained that the people of SALL are represented by the president.
ADVERTISEMENT
Speaking on Metro TV's Good orning Ghana, he said "I think that there’s a challenge with SALL. We've moved forward; we've come a long way, now the district is in place. Other arrangements will naturally sit on it. So, how did we get here? we got here because we wanted to divide the regions and once we have separated the two regions, inherently, the SALL area fell into Oti and for that reason, been detached from Hohoe where they were attached to. There are processes in place to address that, it will be addressed.
"The skepticism for me is problematic. It is trying to raise all of these issues to make it look as though it is political. This has nothing to do with gerrymandering and I will share my candid opinion on these issues. I don’t fancy the creation of all these districts and constituencies; we have too many, creating too many problems. So, the issue of creating constituencies will come following this."
"The conversation with SALL and the division of this region… my view is that we need to approach this issue intentionally. This thing about you’ll go do petition here and we’ll go and see President Akufo-Addo and all of that is not what is going to solve the problem. The calculation where people are saying the people of SALL are not represented and all of that, I hear that but are they a constituency now, so constituted? They are not.
"If we're being objective about this whole thing, we need to ask the question, do we need all these constituencies? The people of SALL are being represented by their president because SALL is not a constituency," he added.
Background
ADVERTISEMENT
In the 2020 elections, voters within areas in Santrokofi, Akpafu, Likpe, and Lolobi, were only allowed to take part in the presidential election but could not vote in the parliamentary election because a constituency had not been created for them.
Residents of the Guan District who were not given the opportunity to vote in the parliamentary elections on December 7, 2020, later filed an ex-parte application to demand the enforcement of their fundamental human rights to vote.
JOIN OUR PULSE COMMUNITY!
ADVERTISEMENT
Eyewitness? Submit your stories now via social or:
Email: eyewitness@pulse.com.gh
Recommended articles
"If I were President, I'd be asking some serious questions" - Mahama
Bawumia vows reconstruction of fire-ravaged Madina Market
Government committed to establishing Ghana as a bilingual state – Akufo-Addo
Train accident photo posted on my social media pages is a photoshop - Peter Amewu
Court jails truck driver 6 months for causing Ghana's brand-new train accident
609 Ghanaians died in first 3 months of 2024 through road crashes - NRSA reveals
Joseph Addo files nomination to contest as NPP Parliamentary aspirant for La Dadekotopon
Dumsor: ECG board members reject PURC GH¢5.8m fine
