Nana Alloh welcomes President’s directive for a new district

Nana Soglo Alloh IV, the President of the Volta Regional House of Chiefs, has welcomed President Akufo-Addo’s directive for the creation of a new district for Santrokofi, Akpafu, Lolobi and Likpe (SALL) communities.

President Akufo-Addo directed the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD) to initiate processes for the new district before the end of 2020.

The SALL communities consisted of Santrokofi, Akpafu, Lolobi and Likpe, who are currently part of the new Oti region.

This is contained in a correspondence titled ‘’Proposed Santrokofi, Akpafu, Lolobi, Likpe (SALL) District in Oti Region,’’ and signed by Hajia Alima Mahama, Minister of MLGRD dated August 3, this year, and copied to the Regional Ministers of Oti and Volta and sighted by the Ghana News Agency.

It said these communities became part of the Jasikan district by the Referendum and the creation of the Oti Region.

The directive urged inhabitants in SALL to participate actively in the voter registration exercise.

Nana Alloh, also the Paramount Chief of the Likpe Traditional Area, speaking to the Ghana News Agency in an interview, said the directive would bring some respite to the people, who were agitating for a new district since 2018.

He said from his briefing, the directive, unfortunately, cannot allow the creation of a Constituency, which would be an aberration of the 1992 Constitution.

Nana Alloh said Parliament would have to be dissolved to make way for the creation of a new Constituency or creation of an additional new Constituency to increase the number to 276, as the other option, which would be an unconstitutional measure.

He said the chiefs were looking tentatively at next year when a by-election could be activated to solve the impasse.

Nana Alloh said the creation of new Constituencies was a prerogative of the Electoral Commission, which could not be forced to do so.