Another Supreme Court suit against new regions creation

The Supreme Court is set to hear an injunction application that seeks to compel the Electoral Commission to halt all processes it has begun to create six new regions.

Three applicants have filed for the injunction after the EC proceeded to begin limited registration exercises in the affected areas despite being served with the original suits challenging the process.

Mayor Agblexe, Destiny Awlimey, and Jean-Claude Koku Amenyaoglo want the Supreme Court to place an interlocutory injunction on the EC until their substantive suit is fully determined.

The three sued the EC over the decision to allow only those in affected areas to vote in the decision to cede them from the rest of their respective regions.

The new application also seeks to injunct the Attorney-General from “taking any steps which will amount to or have the effect of assisting the EC in its attempts or preparation to hold the limited registration exercise…with an end toward a referendum…”

The Electoral Commissioner, Jean Mensa at a press briefing noted that neither of the two suits challenging the process contained an injunction.

“With regard to the suit, it was delivered yesterday but was not with an application and therefore it cannot be held to be binding an effective injunction on the Commission. That is why we are going ahead with the limited registration exercise as planned,” she said.

The Justice Brobbey Committee – which collated views on the creation of the new regions – recommended that the vote be held only in the affected areas but that has been refuted by a section of the public, especially people in the affected regions although not in the affected areas.

A non-governmental organisation, Strategic Thinkers Network-Africa has also sued the government and the EC on the decision to conduct a referendum in only the six regions in which the new regions will be created.

STRANET said the decision to allow only those within the proposed regions to determine the division of an entire region is “manifestly absurd” because the demarcations will affect everybody else living within the region.

If it affects the entire region then the entire region must be allowed to participate in the referendum, they argue.

President Nana Akufo-Addo promised to create the new regions to help facilitate easy administration of the areas.

The six new regions are proposed to be carved out of the Northern, Brong Ahafo, Western and Volta regions.

Source: Myjoyonline.com