Akwatiahene calls on EC for redress

Akwatia (Eastern Region) - The Chief of Akwatia, Barima Kofi Boateng III has called on the Electoral Commission (EC) to restore to the Akwatia Constituency certain areas that were made part of the Lower West Akyem Constituency in 1987.

The Akwatiahene observed that the EC was in the process of reviewing constituency boundaries and, therefore, asked the Commission to take into consideration a ruling by the Constituencies Boundaries Demarcation Tribunal in 1994 that the areas lost to the Akwatia Constituency be restored.


In a statement issued at Akwatia on Friday, Barima Kofi Boateng mentioned the areas as Osenase, Otwenkwanta, Kobriso, Kakoase, Nyankomase and their surrounding villages.


He recalled that the Tribunal, under the chairmanship of Justice C.E.H. Coussey, ruled in favour of the Akwatia Traditional Council in their action against the EC Nana Boateng said in its determination, the tribunal said by making those towns and their surrounding villages, which were Ward 5 of the Akwatia Constituency part of the Lower West Akyem Constituency, the latter had gained a population of about 10,000 over the former.


This disparity, the tribunal noted, "was excessive" saying, there were other compelling factors from evidence before it, such as traditional area linkage, to return Osenase and neighbouring towns and villages to the Akwatia Constituency.

The Akwatiahene recalled that the areas lost to the Akwatia Constituency were from the time of the first Parliamentary Elections in 1951 through to the period before the 1992 Parliamentary Elections part of the Akwatia Constituency.


He blamed the National Commission for Democracy which in 1987, during its re-demarcation of constituencies exercise made those areas part of the Lower West Akyem Constituency.


The Akwatiahene noted that the determination by the tribunal was never challenged and to date the West Akyem District Assembly which gained by the inclusion of those areas in the Lower West Akyem Constituency had never appealed against the verdict.