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Afari Gyan can set Ghana ablaze - Kyei Mensah-Bonsu

Afari Gyan Ec Chair

Wed, 24 Dec 2014 Source: Daily Guide

The Minority Leader of Parliament, Hon. Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu has chided the decision of the Electoral Commissioner, Dr. Kwadwo Afari Gyan to close the nominations for the District Assembly Elections when the law backing the elections was not effective at the time of closure.

According to the Member of Parliament for Suame Constituency, Dr. Afari Gyan had no legal right to close the nominations of the potential Assembly Members elections when the law which bides the EC to conduct the Assembly elections was passed on Monday December 22, 2014.

The Minority Leader is also demanding that the EC restarts preparations for the district level elections following the maturation of the CI 85 on Monday, December 22, 2014.

He argues the EC will be in violation of the constitution if it goes ahead with the elections next year.

Although nominations for the elections were closed last Sunday, the constitutional instrument which gives them the legal backing to hold the elections only matured yesterday.

Speaking on Okay Fm’s Ade Akye Abia Morning Show, Hon. Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu said the Electoral Commissioner connived with the Local Government Minister to create the 6,156 electoral areas and the districts unlawfully.

He maintained that those Assemblies created were unlawful because the operations of the Assembly had no legal backing and the electoral areas as well were not well defined but people were still operating from the Assemblies.

To him, the elections of the Assembly Members have delayed because the Electoral Commissioner refused to heed the order of the Supreme Court to properly address the loopholes which accompanied the CI85 until December 22, 2014 before Parliament could approve those 6,156 electoral areas.

He however wondered why Dr. Afari Gyan could close the nominations of the potential Assembly election contenders last Saturday when there was no legal support for him to take that decision until Monday, the following week.

“The law was only effective yesterday, after the 21 days but Dr. Afari Gyan had already closed nominations of the Assembly elections and that means he closed the nominations when there was no law backing his decisions….if he had done this during the general elections, what do you think would have happened in the country? He is behaving as if this country is lawless; as if we are in a jungle…..if we don’t take care, he will set Ghana ablaze with his obstinate behavior”, he warned.

Source: Daily Guide