The Electoral Commission (EC) has denied allegations made by the president of IMANI
Africa, Franklin Cudjoe, that it disenfranchised the people of Santrokofi, Apkafu, Lolobi
and Lipke (SALL).
EC in a statement on Wednesday, May 15, clarified that at no point did it disenfranchise the
people in the newly created Guan Constituency.
In a seven-point clarification, the EC said it followed all the legal processes in creating a
constituency and never disenfranchised the people in its procedure.
“It is unfortunate that IMANI continues to peddle falsehood and untruths about the Commission
at every point and turn. His [Franklin Cudjoe’s] narrative that the Commission disenfranchised
the people of SALL, now the Guan Constituency, is FALSE. We urge the public to verify
information put out by IMANI, with the Commission for the truth and the facts.”
INABILITY OF SALL (GUAN CONSTITUENCY) TO VOTE I N THE 2020
PARLIAMENTARY ELECTION-DISREGARD FALSEHOOD AND
MISINFORMATION FROM IMANI PRESIDENT
The Electoral Commission has received an audio circulating on social media in which the
President of Imani accuses the Commission of disenfranchising the people of Santrokofi,
Apkafu, Lolobi and Lipke (SALL). We wish to state categorically that his accusations are false
and without basis. The Commission never disenfranchised the good people of the newly created
Guan Constituency. It is not in our interest to do so.
Here are the facts surrounding the inability of the residents of SALL now the Guan Constituency,
to vote in the 2020 Parliamentary Election.
1. The Legislative Instrument (L. I. 2416) which created the Guan District (SALL) was laid in
Parliament on the 6th of October, 2020 by the Ministry of Local Government and Rural
Development (MLGRD). It matured on the 9th of November, 2020, roughly a month to the 2020
General Elections.
2. Parliament went on recess on the 9th of November, 2020, the same day the L.I. creating the
Guan District matured and returned on the 14th of December, 2020, one week after the 2020
General Elections.
3. On the 10th of November 2020, the Electoral Commission received a letter from the Ministry
of Local Government and Rural Development informing it of the creation of the Guan District
(SALL). The letter requested the Commission to take steps to create a new Constituency.
4. The Commission drafted a new Constitutional Instrument (C.I.) to bring into force the Guan
Constituency and forwarded the draft C.I. to the Attorney General’s Department for its review on
the 13th of November, 2020 as required by law.
5. It is important to state that for a C.I. to mature and come into force, the law requires the
Electoral Commission to lay the C.I. in Parliament for twenty-one (21) sitting days. This means
that Parliament should be in session during the twenty-one (21) day period when the C.I. is laid.
6. With Parliament on recess, the Commission could not lay the C.I. to bring the Guan
Constituency into effect as required by law.
7. The question is, how could the Commission proceed to create a new Constituency when
Parliament was on recess and when the law required the Commission to lay the C.I. before
Parliament for twenty-one (21) sitting days?
How can any well-meaning person accuse the Commission of disenfranchising the good people
of SALL when the facts are so clear?
It is unfortunate that IMANI continues to peddle falsehood and untruths about the Commission at
every point and turn. His narrative that the Commission disenfranchised the people of SALL,
now the Guan Constituency, is FALSE. We urge the public to verify information put out by
IMANI, with the Commission for the truth and the facts.
To enable the public ascertain the truth, we have attached the letter from the Ministry of Local
Government and Rural Development to the Commission requesting it to create the new
Constituency and the Commission’s letter to the Attorney General seeking to create the new
Constituency.
