Lolobi, Akpafu chiefs sue to opt out of Oti Region

Jean Mensa, Chairperson of the Electoral Commission[/caption] The Electoral Commission has been sued by two paramountcies who were put under Oti Region after the recent re-regionalization. The Lolobi and Akpafu traditional areas, prior to the re-demarcation, were under the Hohoe Municipality in the Volta Region. Nana Akoto  Masakyi  III, Paramount Chief  of Lolobi Traditional  Area, and Nana Tetteh-Attu  IV, Adontenhene  & Acting Paramount  Chief of Akpafu Traditional Area, on behalf of their people, are now challenging the powers of the EC to create a district in Ghana. “A declaration that the inclusion of Lolobi and Akpafu communities under the Jasikan District of the Oti Region is in violation of Article 241 (2) of the Constitution (1992) and sections 1(2) & (3) of the Local Governance Act, 2016 (Act 936),” the writ filed at the Tribunal on Electoral Boundary on Wednesday noted. The chiefs are also seeking perpetual injunction restraining the Electoral Commission from forcibly removing the Lolobi and Akpafu traditional areas from the Hohoe Municipality. The plaintiffs argued that the duties and powers of the Electoral Commission does not include the power to create districts. “The defendant’s action of placing Lolobi and Akpafu under the new Jasikan District is in bad faith, because it is calculated to undermine steps being taken by the chiefs and people of Akpafu and Lolobi traditional areas to reverse their unlawful inclusion in the Oti Region,” the plaintiffs posited. “The defendant is also aware of the fact that the chiefs and people of Lolobi and Akpafu did not petition the President/Commission to be included in the new region. On the contrary, the chiefs and people of Akpafu have consistently maintained (since 1945) that they did not want to be part of the Jasikan/Buem District or Constituency nor Oti Region.” According to the plaintiffs, all attempts, including writing to the Justice Brobbey Commission, to get the paramountcies remained under Hohoe were ignored. They cited instances were they protested but the Chairperson of the EC Jean Mensa told them her “hands were tied”. “Plaintiff states that in spite of this, the defendant went ahead to organize elections (referendum) in the affected traditional areas, which election was boycotted resulting in an abysmal average of 11% turn out (89% boycotted), which is below the constitutionally mandated minimum of 50%.” By Isaac Essel | 3news.com | Ghana]]>