Private legal practitioner Tsatsu Tsikata has urged that reparations be considered for residents of Santrokofi, Akpafu, Likpe and Lolobi (SALL), arguing that they were unfairly denied representation during Ghana’s 8th Parliament.
He explained that the situation emerged following the creation of the Oti Region under Constitutional Instrument 112, which left the affected communities without a Member of Parliament after the 2020 general elections.
Speaking at an honorary lecture and awards ceremony at the University of Professional Studies, Accra on Wednesday, April 15, Mr Tsikata maintained that later developments, including the establishment of the Guan District and Guan Constituency ahead of the 2024 elections, do not adequately resolve the matter.
“It cannot be said that the subsequent creation of a Guan district and a Guan constituency are sufficient to remedy the injustice to the people of SALL,” he said. “For one thing, the mere denomination of a district and a constituency does not provide the development resources that are the legitimate aspiration of the people.”
He further argued that the affected communities were denied not only parliamentary representation but also access to development opportunities typically associated with having an MP.
“For the period they lacked representation in parliament and their share of the resources that could have been available through a member of parliament, I dare say they are owed reparation,” he stated.
Describing the situation as a “historic injustice,” Mr Tsikata attributed the development to decisions by the Electoral Commission of Ghana, which he said effectively excluded eligible voters in the area from the 2020 parliamentary polls.
“Please remember that the EC itself has admitted that it would have been illegal to have asked the voters in those areas to vote in the Buem constituency in December 2020,” he noted.
“Yet, that is what the constitutional instrument which the EC has claimed in its defence to the election petition to be the applicable instrument.”
He added that the matter remains before the courts, as affected residents continue to pursue legal redress over their exclusion from the electoral process.
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Source: www.myjoyonline.com