Government has described as groundless claims by the President of the National House of Chiefs, Togbe Afede XIV, that it is myopically interpreting and implementing provisions of the 1992 constitution regarding the creation of regions to satisfy a campaign promise.
Addressing the General Meeting of the Volta Regional House of Chiefs in Ho, Togbe Afede accused the Commission of Inquiry set up to investigate the substantial demand for creation of the new regions of doing a shoddy work regarding the creation of the Oti region.
Citing disrespect for petitions to extend the public hearings for the creation of Oti from the Volta region to other parts of the region, the Agbogbomefia of the Asogli State said he personally offered admonitions on the process both privately and public but was ignored and misrepresented leading to insults and abhorrence.
“The views I expressed and the pieces of advice I offered when members of the Commission of Inquiry visited the National House of Chiefs on April 18, 2018, were selectively reported to give a certain impression,” he said.
In a reaction, however, the Ministry of Regional Reorganization and Development debunked claims of Togbe Afede noting that it found them baffling.
Revealing that Togbe Afede was consulted perhaps more than any other Ghanaian on the creation of the regions, the Ministry noted that he was involved in all consultations of the commission with the council of state, the Volta regional house of chiefs and the national house of chiefs, thus his utterances must be “disregarded.”
The Ministry said the commission adhered strictly to the provisions outlined in the 1992 constitution of Ghana relating to the creation of regions and that government “is thus satisfied with the manner in which the commission conducted its work and the subsequent report submitted.”
Oti region long overdue – Obed Asamoah
Meanwhile, as government and the President of the National House of Chiefs engage in a war of words over the thoroughness of the commission’s work, one of Ghana’s veteran politician and legal luminary, Dr Obed Asamoah said the carving out of the Oti region from the Volta region is “long overdue.”
According to the 82-year-old statesman, the call for the whole region to take part in the referendum for the creation of the Oti region is incomprehensible.
Source: Ghana/Starrfmonline.com/103.5FM
