President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has charged the newly inaugurated nine-member Commission of Enquiry to consider the creation of new regions to execute their constitutional duties without fear or favour.
Addressing members of the commission after administering the oath of office to them, President Akufo-Addo said their terms of reference is clearly captured in the constitutional provisions that set them up and that until their work is completed, no one can claim any name or boundary as a new region.
The Commission is headed by a retired Supreme Court judge Justice S.A. Brobbey. Other members of the Commission are: Dr. Grace Bediako, former Government Statistician; Maulvi Mohammed Bin-Salih, AMEER, Missionary in-charge, Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission in Ghana; Prof. Kwasi Kwafo Adarkwa, former Vice Chancellor, KNUST; and Ms. Gladys Gillian Naadu Tetteh, a local government expert.
The rest are: Mr. Robert Ajene, retired Director of Education; Dr. David Wellington Essaw, Senior Research Fellow, University of Cape Coast; Prof. George Owusu, Institute of Statistical, Social & Economic Research, (ISSER)/Director, Centre for Urban Management Studies, University of Ghana; and Ms. Josephine Hughes, legal practitioner.
It is to tour the country especially the Volta, Brong Ahafo, Northern and Western regions to gather the necessary information to create the new regions.
Constitutional Bases for the Commission of Enquiry
Article 5 of the 1992 constitution of the Republic forms the constitutional bases for the formation of the Commission of Enquiry by the President. It states as follow;
(1) Subject to the provisions of this article, the President may, by constitutional instrument –
(a) create a new region;
(b) alter the boundaries of a region; or
(c) provide for the merger of two or more regions.
(2) If the President, upon a petition being presented to him and, on the advice of the Council of State, is satisfied that there is substantial demand for –
(a) the creation of a new region;
(b) the alteration of the boundaries of a region, whether or not the alteration involves the creation of a new region; or
(c) the merger of any two or more regions;
he shall, acting in accordance with the advice of the Council of State, appoint a commission of inquiry to inquire into the demand and to make recommendations on all the factors involved in the creation, alteration or merge.
(3) If, notwithstanding that a petition has not been presented to him, the President is, on the advice of the Council of State, satisfied that the need has arisen for taking any of the steps referred to in paragraphs (a), (b) and (c) of clause (1) of this article, he may, acting in accordance with the advice of the Council of State, appoint a commission of inquiry to inquire into the need and to make recommendations on all the factors involved in the creation, alteration or merger.
(4) Where a commission of inquiry appointed under clause (2) and (3) of this article finds that there is the need and a substantial demand for the creation, alteration or merger referred to in either of those clauses, it shall recommend to the President that a referendum be held, specifying the sues to be determined by the referendum and the places where the referendum should be held.
(5) The President shall refer the recommendations to the Electoral Commission, and the referendum all be held in a manner prescribed by the Electoral Commission.
Source: Ghana/Starrfmonline.com/103.5FM/Wilberforce Asare
