Two eighteen year olds have secured interlocutory injunction from the Koforidua high High Court on the election of Assembly members and Unit committee scheduled to be held on January 17,2023 in Lower Manya Krobo.
A total of 127 male candidates filed to contest the Assembly member election whilst 280 also contesting the Unit committee positions.
However the two teenagers- Michael Tetteh, and Angel Agyemang,both residents of Agormanya and Asitey respectively argue that EC has failed to conduct limited registration exercise to enable them take part in the election which when allowed will be in violation of their constitutional right to vote in the upcoming elections pursuant to article 33 of the 1992 constitution of Ghana.
Paragraph 8 of the affidavit by the applicants states “that since turning 18, we have not had any opportunity to register in order to vote or be qualified to be elected as Assembly Members in the Lower Manya Krobo District Assembly.”
They added “we have been further advised and believe same to be true that our right to vote is likely to be contravened if the Respondent is allowed to conduct the district level elections in Lower Manya Krobo district level election”.
The applicants prayed the court to restrain the Electoral Commission from conducting the elections until the commission conducts the voters registration exercise in accordance with article 45(a) of the constitution, the Electoral Commission is mandated to compile the register of voters and revise it at such periods as may be determined by law.
District level elections in lower Manya Krobo was not held in eight years due to dispute between the municipality and then Dangme West District now Shai Osudoku over 11 electoral areas created at Akuse.
The dispute which started with the defection of some of Akuse assembly members to the then Dangme West District, was, however, settled by a Supreme Court ruling in favour of Lower Manya Krobo .
The elections of Assembly members and unit committee were immediately held in 2013 and subsequent periods however the election have not synched with the national calendar of the electoral commission hence decision to hold the election ahead of the national one later in the year.
Meanwhile,Konor of Manya Krobo Traditional Area ,Nene Sakite in a petition dated 12 December 2022, called on EC to reconsider mainstreaming the district level elections in Lower Manya Krobo with the national routine.
“…we wish to kindly plead and appeal to the Electoral Commission of Ghana to reconsider its decision in the conduct of the Lower Manya Krobo District Level Elections in January, 2023 to enable the district joins the nationwide District Level Elections in 2023.”
Source: Mybrytfmonline.com/Obed Ansah
