Creation of new constituencies a necessity – Obiri Boahen

Private Legal Practitioner, Nana Obiri Boahen believes it is right for the Electoral Commission (EC) to create new constituencies after the data published by the 2021 Population and Housing Census (PHC).

He educated that factors to consider in the creation of new constituencies include population size and landmass, and if these conditions have been met, “then the EC is doing no one good if it doesn’t create new constituencies.”

With many changes recorded in the 2021 PHC including the Greater Accra region becoming the most populous over the Ashanti region and the increase of the country’s population to 30.8 million, the lawyer argues that “the noise being made by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) over rumours of the EC’s decision to create 25 new constituencies is just that, noise.”

On his accord, the NDC alone does not decide for the ever democratic Ghana and with factors for the creation of new constituencies being met, he insists the exercise should be undertaken.

“It is not fair that Bole Bamboi, Atebubu-Amantin and other constituencies which may not only have increased in population size but may also have a large landmass now still be one constituency. They need to be divided into separate constituencies. This is not a matter of NDC or NPP. Whether the Ashanti Region is getting more constituencies or not, the right thing should be done,” he submitted in an interview with Don Kwabena Prah on Happy98.9FM’s Epa Hoa Daben political talk show.

Minority leader, Haruna Iddrisu, has disclosed that he has picked intelligence that there is going to be the creation of 25 new constituencies following the 2021 population and housing census. This he said, the NDC will resist it.

According to him, the new constituencies according to the information they have will be about 25.

Out of the 25 new constituencies, the minority leader in parliament said their sources say 11 of the new constituencies will be from a particular region.

He, however, served the notice that the National Democratic Congress and its Legislators will resist that introduction.

Nana Obiri Boahen has however intimated that the creation of the new constituencies is not a choice of parliament but rather the Electoral Commission.