Fourteen regions elect Council of State reps

Fourteen out of the 16 regions have successfully elected representatives to serve on the Council of State.

The exercise, supervised by the Electoral Commission, was in accordance with Chapter Nine of Article 89 of the 1992 Constitution.

There was no election in the Bono East Region because of a court injunction.

Two leading candidates in the Western Region also had equal votes, necessitating a second round of voting.

Mr Enoch Teye Mensah picked the Greater Accra ticket after polling 58 votes, Nana Owusu Achiaw Brempong won in Ashanti with 77 votes, Mr Mosore Kugbilsong Nanlebegtang, the Upper East winner, got 12 votes, while Mr Daniel Anlieu-Mwine Bagah won the Upper West slot with 21 votes.

Mr Adams Zakaria, who emerged the winner of the Savanna Region, polled 14 votes, Mr Mahamoud Tahiru Zunglana, rep of the Northern Region, had 23 votes, Mr Richard Kings Atikpo of Oti had 11 votes, and Odeefuo Afankwa III of the Central Region got 31.

The Volta Region’s Francis Albert Seth Nyonyo garnered 19 votes, Paa Kofi Ansong of the Eastern Region got 66, and Katakyie Kwasi Bumagama II, rep of the Western North Region, polled 77 votes.

The rest are Mr Kodwo Agyenim-Boateng from the Bono Region, 15 votes, Mr Yaw Basoa, the Ahafo Region winner, got 12 votes, and Mr Azumah Namoro Sanda of the North East had 12 votes.

The Council of State plays a significant role in the governance of the country. It is enjoined by the Constitution to counsel the President in the performance of his functions.

Its advisory role is akin to what pertains in many families where there are elders to be consulted, especially when very difficult decisions have to be taken or when there is a crisis that requires wisdom to resolve.

Specifically, the Council is to consider and advise the President or any other authority in respect of any appointment, which is required by the Constitution or any other law to be made in accordance with the advice of, or in consultation with, the Council.

Also, upon request or on its own initiative, the Council is to consider and make recommendations on any matter being considered or dealt with by the President, a Minister of State, or any other authority established by the Constitution.

Over the years, the Council has mostly worked silently in the background, fulfilling its mandate as enshrined in the Constitution, with people chosen to serve on it usually being elderly people of various competencies who wield respect in society.