Referendum for new regions to proceed despite court suit – EC

The Electoral Commission says it will go ahead with the conduct of referendum for the creation of the six new regions in spite of the Supreme Court suit challenging the exercise.

A civil society group, strategic thinkers network, has sued the EC over the decision to conduct the referendum.

According to the group, plans by the EC to organise the referendum only in the beneficiary areas is unconstitutional and whimsical.

In a suit filed by their lawyer, Godwin Kudzo Tameklo, the group is praying the apex court to place an interlocutory injunction on the proposed referendum which is scheduled for December 27, 2018 until the final determination of the suit.

Addressing the media in Accra, Chairperson of the commission Jean Mensah acknowledged receipt of the writ but explained there is no injunction on the exercise.

“The suit was delivered yesterday but it was not with an application and therefore it cannot be held to be binding an effective injunction on the commission and therefore that is why we are going ahead with the exercise as planned”.

The EC boss further announced a timetable for a limited registration exercise covering 47 districts affected in the creation of the regions.



New Regions

On August 15, 2017, the Council of State advised President Akufo-Addo to appoint a Commission of Enquiry “to inquire into the need and to make recommendations on all the factors involved in the creation of the new regions.”

This was after the Council of State, on 29th June, 2017, received communication from the President seeking the Council’s advice on the creation of new regions, as stipulated by the Constitution.

The President, on the October 19, 2017, in accordance with Article 5 of the 1992 Constitution, inaugurated a nine-member Commission of Inquiry to inquire into the need and substantial demand and to make recommendations on all the factors involved in the creation of a region or alteration of regional boundaries.



The Commission is chaired by Justice S.A. Brobbey, a retired Supreme Court Judge, and has Dr. Grace Bediako, Maulvi Mohammed Bin-Salih, Prof. Kwasi Kwafo Adarkwa, Gladys Tetteh, Robert Ajene, David Wellington Essaw, Prof. George Owusu and Josephine Hughes, as its members.

The Commission commenced its public hearing on 21st November 2017 in the Western Region.

On June 27, 2018, the Justice Brobbey Commission presented its report to President Akufo-Addo and recommended the creation of six new administrative regions in Ghana and the new regions are to be known as Oti, Ahafo, Brong East, Western North, North East and Savanna.