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The Director of Electoral Services at the Electoral Commission (EC), Dr. Serebour Quaicoe, has revealed a Constitutional Instrument (C.I) is before parliament for the establishment of the Guan constituency.
The constituency captures the Santrokofi, Akpafu, Lipke and Lolobi (SALL) Traditional Areas that were unable to vote for a parliamentary representation in 2020.
Speaking on PM Express, Dr Quaicoe said that although the Guan district assembly was established in November 2020 there was not enough time for the EC to place the C.I before parliament prior to the general elections in December.
Because of this, the constituency was unable to come into full force, leaving the people without a parliamentary vote and subsequently representation, he noted.
“Let us also understand that once you are creating a constituency, you have to pass a C.I to establish it. And every C.I should be before parliament for 21 sitting days before it can pass. So automatically if you establish a district in November, there’s no way you can have the 21 days passing before. That’s why they couldn’t vote for the parliamentary. But the presidential, they voted,” Dr Quaicoe explained.
He noted that this time all the preparations needed including the engagements and pre-laying stage have been completed as such should parliament resume sitting for the required 21 days the C.I would be passed by December 2023.
Background
It would be recalled that the Electoral Commission (EC) through a release issued on the eve of the 2020 elections, caused the exclusion of SALL to vote and elect a Member of Parliament.
Although voters in the SALL traditional areas were allowed to vote in the Buem Constituency for the presidential election, they were directed by the EC not to participate in the parliamentary elections.
Some residents of Santrokofi, Akpafu, Likpe, and Lolobi (SALL) dragged then Hohoe MP-elect John Peter Amewu and the EC to the High Court.
They contend that by not being allowed to vote in the December 2020 parliamentary elections, their rights have been breached.
They secured a 10-day injunction against the gazetting of John Peter Amewu as the winner of the polls.
However, the then Deputy Attorney-General, Godfred Yeboah Dame, who is currently the country’s Attorney-General filed an application at the Supreme Court urging it to restrain the Ho High Court from hearing the matter.
He maintained that SALL residents do not have voting rights in Hohoe since the Supreme Court has already ruled that the area falls within the Oti region.
The Supreme Court ruled that the alleged breach of the rights of SALL residents was not caused by Mr. Amewu who just put himself up for elections.
Therefore, any move to question his election ought to be challenged through an election petition and not a human rights action at the High Court.
This did not sit well with the SALL residents who filed for a review insisting the original panel commuted errors of law.
But the Supreme Court has affirmed its earlier decision that the Ho High Court erred when it granted an injunction against the gazetting of John Peter Amewu as Hohoe MP-elect.
The seven-member panel on Tuesday ruled that the request for review fails to meet the threshold.
Read more: The Curious Case of SALL
