Parliament has adopted the report of the Committee of Subsidiary Legislation on the Referendum (Creation of New Regions) Regulations, 2018, (C.I. 109) for creation of six additional regions in Ghana.
The process started following petitions submitted to the President of the Republic of Ghana by some citizen and interest groups requesting the creation of new regions out of some existing regions.
The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo upon receipt of the petitions, forwarded them to the Council of State for advice. The Council endorsed the request for the creation of the regions.
On its advice, the President in October, 2017 appointed a 9-member Commission of Inquiry chaired by Justice Stephen A. Brobbey, a retired Supreme Court Judge, to further examine the petitions.
The Commission of Inquiry, in its report submitted to the President on June 26, 2018, affirmed that, there are substantial demands for the creation of six regions namely: Western North, Bono East, Ahafo, Savannah, North East and Oti Region.
Subsequently, the President referred the recommendations to the Electoral Commission to conduct referenda in accordance with article 5(5) of The 1992 Constitution.
The Committee observed that, the Constitutional Instrument provides for the areas where the referenda are to be held.
The Minority staged a walk-out during proceedings to adopt the Report.
The boycott followed an alleged refusal of The Speaker, Professor Aaron Mike Oquaye to acknowledge them as they were on their feet to contribute to the debate.
Briefing the Media on the issue, the MP for Asawase and Minority Chief Whip, Mutaka Mubarak said…., “I am very angry, oh why, we The Minority cannot have our way but we must be allowed to have our say. So any attempt to prevent us is like we are virtually running a dictatorship”.
According to him, “The Speaker is destroying the culture that Parliament all around the world observed”, he added, the Speaker has abused the rules, abused the constitution and you expect The Minority to be there (The Chamber)”.
“We cannot split hairs over the creation because the NDC has it in its manifesto and the NPP also has it but the question is about procedure”, he stressed.
Story By: Edzorna Francis Mensah
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Well handled with the maturity it deserves. Prof Aaron, God Bless you ooooo. May Haruna Iddrisu, Muntataka (Pampers), and their coterie nay Sayers stay in opposition for long.