The Electoral Commission of Ghana (EC) has dismissed allegations made by the President of IMANI Africa, Franklin Cudjoe, that it disenfranchised the people of Santrokofi, Apkafu, Lolobi and Likpe (SALL) from voting in the 2020 parliamentary elections.
In a press statement issued on Wednesday, May 15, the EC clarified that it followed all the legal processes in creating a constituency and never prevented the people from exercising their civic duty of voting in the newly created Guan Constituency.
The EC further described the allegations as false and urged the public to disregard them.
“The Commission never disenfranchised the good people of the newly created Guan Constituency. It is not in our interest to do so.
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“It is unfortunate that IMANI continues to peddle falsehood and untruths about the Commission at every point and turn. His [Franklin Cudjoe’s] narrative that the Commission disenfranchised the people of SALL, now the Guan Constituency, is FALSE. We urge the public to verify information put out by IMANI, with the Commission for the truth and the facts,” the EC maintained.
The Guan Constituency does not have a legislator to represent the people in the current parliament.
In February 2023, the residents filed a petition to the Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Godfred Yeboah Dame, to address the issue.
The chiefs stressed that the inclusion of their areas in the newly-created Oti Region was a mistake.
“We hold a firm position that the Justice Brobbey Commission erred in law by recommending the inclusion of Akpafu and Lolobi traditional areas in the newly created region of Oti.
“This singular misstep/blander sins against Article 5 (2) of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana.”
They noted that the people of Santrokofi, Akpafu, Likpe and Lolobi (SALL) traditional areas “never petitioned the President of the Republic or the Justice Brobbey Commission to join the newly-created Region.
Responding to the issues in Parliament in November 2023, Mr Dame said the EC had made significant progress toward guaranteeing representation for the Santrokofi, Akpafu, Likpe, and Lolobi (SALL) traditional areas in Parliament.
He added that in a letter dated November 2, 2023, Parliament indicated that on October 31, 2023, the District Electoral Areas and Designation of Units (Amendment) Instrument, 2023, and the Representation of the People (Parliamentary Constituencies) (Amendment) Instrument, 2023, were laid in Parliament.
Answering questions on the floor of the House, Mr. Dame said that in 2021, the Electoral Commission (EC), with the guidance of his office, started the process of creating a new constituency for the Guan District.
He was very optimistic that the people of SALL would have a representation in Parliament in the next elections.
“The Commission held a consultative meeting with stakeholders in the new Guan District for a proposed name and headquarters of the new Constituency. The stakeholders unanimously agreed on a constituency name, Guan Constituency, with the headquarters being Likpe-Mate,” he noted.
Below is the full statement from the EC detailing the steps taken on the matter.
INABILITY OF SALL (GUAN CONSTITUENCY) TO VOTE IN THE 2020 PARLIAMENTARY ELECTION-DISREGARD FALSEHOOD AND MISINFORMATION FROM IMANI PRESIDENT
The Electoral Commission has received an audio circulating on social media in which the President of Imani accuses the Commission of disenfranchising the people of Santrokofi, Apkafu, Lolobi and Lipke (SALL).
We wish to state categorically that his accusations are false and without basis. The Commission never disenfranchised the good people of the newly created Guan Constituency. It is not in our interest to do so.
Here are the facts surrounding the inability of the residents of SALL now the Guan Constituency, to vote in the 2020 Parliamentary Election.
1. The Legislative Instrument (L. I. 2416) which created the Guan District (SALL) was laid in Parliament on the 6th of October, 2020 by the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD). It matured on the 9th of November, 2020, roughly a month to the 2020 General Elections.
2. Parliament went on recess on the 9th of November, 2020, the same day the L.I. creating the Guan District matured and returned on the 14th of December, 2020, one week after the 2020 General Elections.
3. On the 10th of November 2020, the Electoral Commission received a letter from the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development informing it of the creation of the Guan District (SALL). The letter requested the Commission to take steps to create a new Constituency.
4. The Commission drafted a new Constitutional Instrument (C.I.) to bring into force the Guan Constituency and forwarded the draft C.I. to the Attorney General’s Department for its review on the 13th of November, 2020 as required by law.
5. It is important to state that for a C.I. to mature and come into force, the law requires the Electoral Commission to lay the C.I. in Parliament for twenty-one (21) sitting days. This means that Parliament should be in session during the twenty-one (21) day period when the C.I. is laid.
6. With Parliament on recess, the Commission could not lay the C.I. to bring the Guan Constituency into effect as required by law.
7. The question is, how could the Commission proceed to create a new Constituency when Parliament was on recess and when the law required the Commission to lay the C.I. before Parliament for twenty-one (21) sitting days?
How can any well-meaning person accuse the Commission of disenfranchising the good people of SALL when the facts are so clear?
It is unfortunate that IMANI continues to peddle falsehood and untruths about the Commission at every point and turn. His narrative that the Commission disenfranchised the people of SALL, now the Guan Constituency, is FALSE. We urge the public to verify information put out by IMANI, with the Commission for the truth and the facts.
To enable the public to ascertain the truth, we have attached the letter from the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development to the Commission requesting it to create the new Constituency and the Commission’s letter to the Attorney General seeking to create the new Constituency.