Ablakwa, others to act as ‘shadow MPs’ for SALL residents

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Residents of SALL demand representation in 8th parliament

Member of Parliament (MP)

Read full article.for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has stated that he will lead the charge together with some other MPs to champion the interest of residents of the Santrokofi, Akpafu, Lolobi and Likpe (SALL) traditional areas in Parliament.

Residents of SALL were disenfranchised in the 2020 general as a result of the Electoral Commission announcing to the constituents in the area on December 6 that they could not participate in the parliamentary elections.

The area has since been without an MP to represent them in the 8th Parliament – a situation many say is bloated on the image of the EC and the House.

In a post on his social media handle, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa said as a part of a stopgap measure, he will together with other colleague MPs prioritize issues bothering the people of SALL when parliament resumes sitting from January 25, 2022.

He has therefore called on residents of SALL to make their concerns known across various social media platforms and other avenues.

Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa also mentioned that plans are far advanced to also host town hall meetings to listen to the concerns of the residents.

“As we continue to mount legitimate pressure for the SALL injustice to be remedied, I wish to indicate that in the interim, a number of us MPs would be prioritizing matters of concern to the SALL people when the House resumes next week. To achieve this objective, I humbly invite the good people of SALL both home and abroad to send us the issues that matter to them via this and other avenues as we leverage the power of social media. The issues could range from education, health, agriculture, unemployment, road infrastructure, security, etc.

“Additionally, arrangements are afoot to host town halls across SALL communities in due course. We pledge to give urgent and serious attention to your responses either by filing questions to Ministers, making statements on the floor or moving motions for action,” he wrote on his Facebook wall on Thursday 20, 2022.

The North Tongu MP also served notice to continuously fight for SALL residents to get a representation in parliament despite the interim measure being put in place to ameliorate their challenges.

“Definitely, we must soldier on and fight harder for SALL’s fundamental right of representation to be respected — this shall remain central in the pursuit of our parliamentary obligations as it remains an unforgivable aberration for the 8th Parliament to exist in this current state of deformity.

“Let me be clear, this interim measure of solidarity in Parliament by forcefully raising concerns of the SALL people on the floor does not in anyway constitute a substitute for their constitutional right to have their own duly elected MP, to the contrary, it is another layer of justifiable agitation which also serves as a constant reminder in the House of Parliament that we are still not fully and properly constituted. Justice shall triumph!” he added.