The Electoral Commission of Ghana has categorically denied accusations made by the President of IMANI Africa, a policy think tank, that it disenfranchised the people of Santrokofi, Apkafu, Lolobi, and Lipke (SALL), now known as the Guan Constituency, in the 2020 parliamentary election.
According to the Commission, the creation of the Guan District (SALL) was done through a Legislative Instrument (L.I. 2416) laid in Parliament on October 6, 2020, which matured on November 9, 2020, just a month before the 2020 General Elections.
The Commission said it received a letter from the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development on November 10, 2020, informing it of the creation of the Guan District and requesting it to take steps to create a new constituency. However, due to Parliament’s recess from November 9 to December 14, 2020, the Commission could not lay the necessary Constitutional Instrument (C.I.) to bring the Guan Constituency into effect as required by law.
“The question is, how could the Commission proceed to create a new Constituency when Parliament was on recess and when the law required the Commission to lay the C.I. before Parliament for twenty-one (21) sitting days?” excerpts of a statement issued by the Electoral Commission said.
The Commission emphasized that it could not have disenfranchised the people of SALL, as alleged by IMANI Africa, given the circumstances and the legal requirements for creating a new constituency.
“It is unfortunate that IMANI continues to peddle falsehood and untruths about the Commission at every point and turn. His narrative that the Commission disenfranchised the people of SALL, now the Guan Constituency, is FALSE,” the Electoral Commission stated.
