EC, A-G sued over creation of new regions

Mr Korsah

Strategic Thinkers Network-Africa, a think tank has dragged the Electoral Commission (EC) and the Attorney-General (A-G) to the Supreme Court over the yet-to-be-created six additional regions in the country.
The group is seeking an injunction on the referendum process to be held in beneficiary communities.

However the government is confident the process to create six new regions will proceed unhindered despite a court suit challenging its constitutionality.
Deputy Minister of Regional Re-organisation, Martin Korsah is insisting the suit would be thrown out by the court.

“It is not subject to individual interpretation, it is good that a group has gone to court, opinions and interpretations are subject to be put before the Judge and it would be heard if we get to that stage,” he noted.
The 19-member commission after holding nationwide consultations urged government to create the administrative regions to be known as Oti, Ahafo, Brong East, Western North, North East and Savanna.

The EC at its recent Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting approved a road-map for organising the referendum.

But the think tank is praying the Supreme Court to declare as null and void the EC’s plan to limit the referendum to only registered voters in the yet to be created regions.

The group is also seeking a declaration that the impending limited voter registration exercise in the beneficiary areas “is arbitrary, whimsical, capricious, and violates Articles 45(a) and 296 of the 1992 Constitution and unconstitutional”.

It is also seeking an order directing the EC “not to conduct the referendum limited to only the places recommended”.

The EC has set December 27, 2018, for the referendum on the creation of the new regions.

The Commission is expected to embark on a series of activities including the registration of new and continuous voters, the exhibition of the voters’ register, as well as processes for the transfer of votes and or the grant of proxy votes.

Professor Stephen Kwaku Asare, a United States-based lawyer has kicked against the creation of the new regions insisting that there was no economic justification for the plan because the process was strenuous and expensive.

According to Mr Korsah, “it’s a straightforward matter, the process has been led by eminent Jurist, Justice Brobbey who has taken matters into consideration and I don’t think there’s any ambiguity about it”. –citinewsroom.com/ kasapafmonline.com

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