EXPOSING THE HIDDEN AGENDA BEHIND THE FAILED LAWSUIT CHALLENGING THE CREATION OF NEW REGIONS

By Iddi Muhayu-Deen

There is absolutely no denying the fact that this whole lawsuit challenging the creation of regions was targeted at stalling the creation of the proposed Oti Region, which has, undoubtedly, seen the strongest opposition in this whole conversation of regional reorganization underpinned in Article 5 of the 1992 Constitution of the Republic. The said anti-Oti agenda, we also do know, is coming from people in the southern part of the Volta Region, almost all of whom are Ewes including their brothers and sisters in the Diaspora, and it is being spearheaded by their traditional and religious leaders, rather regrettably.

Surprisingly, these people and their leaders do not even hail from the Oti enclave and are therefore in no way affected by the creation of the Oti Region, neither have they called for it. But, they have, both in words and in deeds, openly shown demonstrable commitment to thwarting the effort to create the Oti Region. In case you haven’t followed these developments, let me refresh your memories. First, one Rev. S.S Agidi, a renowned opinion leader in the Ewe community and Moderator of the E.P Church was reported in the Ghanaian Times of January 25, 2018, to have openly declared his hatred for the creation of the proposed Oti Region describing the move as a recipe for chaos and tribal conflict.

Also, the Daily Graphic of Thursday, October 4, 2018, reported on the back page that the chiefs and people of the Asogli State including their warlord, Togbe Adzi Lakle Howusu XII, have vowed to resist any attempt to exclude Ewes from the southern part of the Volta Region from participating in the referendum on the creation of the Oti region. Again, the Goviafe chief, in addressing some anti-Oti protesters at the Asogli traditional palace on 8th August, 2018, stoked ethnic sentiments by suggesting that Ashantis were behind the Oti agenda and that, they [the Ashantis] should leave the Volta region and rather go and split their home region if they were interested in splitting regions.

Mention can also be made of a press release by the Anlo traditional council at the close of a meeting held at Ave, on October 13, 2018, where they posited that a potential conflict was imminent if government went ahead with the move to create the Oti Region. The latest in the series of opposition was what we saw recently from no less a person than the Ahomefia of the Asogli State and President of the National House of Chiefs, Togbe Afede, who, aside stoking tribal sentiments, also purported to raise the question of unconstitutionality regarding the processes that had been followed so far.

To me, it is unfathomable that chiefs and people in the southern part of the volta region would think that the carving out of the Oti Region from the Volta Region would affect their tradition authority and reduce the influence of their chiefs. Need I remind them that the creation of new regions or carving out of new regions from existing ones does not affect traditional boundaries? That is why, for instance, we have some chiefs in Volta north and in other regions paying allegiance to the Asantehene and so on. The creation of regions is thus, purely for administrative purposes and has nothing to do with traditional boundaries.

In any case, Togbe Afede and his people know very well that NO SINGLE CHIEF in the entire Oti enclave owes allegiance or has ever owed allegiance to any Ewe chief. So what is their problem? We, the people of Oti, in the exercise of our constitutional rights, as enshrined in Article 5 of the Constitution, called for the creation of the Oti region, thereby triggering the necessary constitutional processes and thankfully, the Justice Brobbey-led commission of inquiry, after their investigations, agreed with us in pursuance to Article 5(4) of the Constitution.

But of course, Togbe Afede and the other chiefs and people in the southern part of the volta region who are in this anti-Oti agenda, would have none of that. So, when they realised they were losing the argument, they decided to go to the Supreme Court, through their Ewe surrogates, in a desperate attempt to curtail the process under the guise of seeking constitutional interpretation. It is certainly the height of absurdity and gross incompetence for them to think that the Supreme Court has the power to twist or alter the very express provisions of Article 5 of the Constitution.

Unfortunately for them, in the Supreme Court, when you go talking tribalism, you will get a 7-0 verdict. When you go talking emotions, you will get a 7-0 verdict. When you go talking religious fanatism or traditional convenience, you will certainly receive a 7-0 verdict and that was exactly what happened to them. Their suit was not only void ab-initio but also, was so vexatious and pregnant with legal and constitutional absurdities. When you go to court with such stuffs, you will certainly be embarrassed. I commend the respected justices of the Supreme Court for doing the needful and vindicating our constitutional jurisprudence.

Let the naysayers be told that Oti Region is a MUST and SHALL come to pass to the glory of God (Insha Allah).

Assalamu aliak

Iddi Muhayu-Deen

#AdvocateForOtiRegion

#ForGodAndCountry

GHANA MOURNS A FALLEN ICON, HON. EMMANUEL KYEREMATENG AGYARKO

 

By Iddi Muhayu-Deen

It is true that DEATH is INEVITABLE as every living soul on earth shall DEFINITELY taste the agony of death at some point, which may be just a second away. Death is also no respecter of persons and gives no damn to one’s age, cultural, political, economic, and social status. Our Holy Books further give credence to this natural order and no man can run away from this reality. Whilst this is true, it is also true that, the consequences of losing a loved one are unbearable and sometimes could get very devastating. 

And certainly, losing somebody like Hon. Kyeremateng Agyarko, who had reached the peak of his service to his country and humanity, cannot be more devastating. The former FDA boss under the Kufuor administration, who until his sudden passing, was the MP for the Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituency and Chairman of the Environment, Science and Technology Committee of Parliament, was an embodiment of humility, integrity, generosity and selflessness. His commitment to serving his constituents and to the cause of the NPP as well as to the Project Ghana is unwavering.

It is not surprising that the common denominator running through all the tributes trickling in speak to Hon. Agyarko’s compassion and down to earth attribute which he demonstrated unconditionally and throughout his life. Let me also use this opportunity to share a personal experience I had with the late MP. Sometime in 2015, soon after I handed over as NUGS General Secretary, social media was awash with a certain self-incriminating chat purportedly coming from me to the then NUGS President, in which I was alluding to my being in bed with the NDC and close association with Hon. Okudzeto Ablakwa and Dr. Omane Boamah. 

This fakechat orchestration was engineered; regrettably, by some of my colleagues in the party youth wing to paint me as a mole in the party. Their reason was simple; to get back at me for certain “uncompromising positions” I took while serving as General Secretary of the nation’s largest student movement which didn’t sit well with them.

Unable to stand the treachery and stigma at the time and after weeping profusely, I picked my pen to write officially to communicate my decision of resigning entirely from politics. Only when I was about doing that, my phone started ringing; a strange number it was, when I picked the call, it was Hon. Emmanuel Kyeremateng Agyarko, whom I had never met nor spoken to. He called, first of all, to express his sympathy following what had happened to me and to give me the needed courage and fortitude to endure those difficulties and obstructions. He assured me of his ever readiness to support me in my undertakings and had, in fact, since became a fatherly figure to me. The rest, like they say, is history. 

But, as I pointed out, this was a man I had not known personally from Adam. I wasn’t his constituent either. Yet, he had shown so much concern in my wellbeing and gave me hope of a promising future. Having listened to him and taken a cue from his nuggets of wisdom, today, I am serving the party in a position of privilege. Hon. Agyarko couldn’t have had a more positive impact in my life. He had done that to so many others and across the political divide.

This attribute of Hon. Agyarko was obviously what endeared him as the most successful MP in the history of the most elitist constituency in Ghana, the Ayawaso West Wuogon, which hosts the University of Ghana, Airport Residential Area and parts of Dzowulo, GIMPA, GIL, UPSA, Presec-Legon etc. He was loved by all especially the students who would on any day vote for Hon. Emmanuel Agyarko as their MP even if they were not sympathetic to the NPP.

Hon. Emmanuel Kyeremateng Agyarko, your sudden departure from this earth is a big blow not only to the NPP but the whole of Ghana and more importantly, a loss to humanity. We celebrate you for a life well lived.

Damerefa Due!!

Iddi Muhayu-Deen

#ForGodAndCountry

NDC NATIONAL DELEGATES CONGRESS IN RETROSPECT - The Talking Points

By Iddi Muhayu-Deen

Over the weekend, the NDC, as we all know, held its 9th National Annual Delegates Congress which came off at the Trade Fair Centre, Accra. Of course, the Congress had a lot of talking points ranging from the outright rejection of Volta (the most loyal region of the party), to the triple-track system, to the election of “babies with sharp teeth”, to the manifestation of gross incompetence, to mafia tactics against their own etc. Come with me fellow political watchers, and let’s get talking about the various talking points therein.  

The Volta Coup

If you ever doubted that the NDC, in this John Mahama era, does not regard the Volta Region, then I’m sure after this Congress, all your doubts were cleared. Despite the fact that the Volta Region is the single most loyal region to the electoral fortunes of the NDC, the Region, when it comes to recognition, receives the least attention from the party. It is not surprising that not a single voltarian was elected to occupy any of the frontline executive positions in the party. All the candidates from the Volta Region who were hoping to get the blessing of the party’s delegates for the positions of National Chairman, General Secretary, National Organiser and Communications Officer, were let down. 

As we have heard from some of them including Fred Agbenyo and Anita Desoso, they are very bitter and have proceeded to suggest that the NDC has been ungrateful and that, the party, had given Volta a raw deal. I dare say, the situation is even worse whenever the NDC is in government because they completely neglect the Volta Region. Simply put, the NDC has consistently reduced the relevance of the Volta Region to what I call, “Voter Region” where they only go to fetch massive votes when they need same and nothing more. 

The “Sharp Teeth” Analysis

One clear outcome of the Congress is the election of “babies with sharp teeth” as they are known in our political parlance. It is obvious that the NDC continues to celebrate their members with acidic tongues who can insult and spew much vitriol on their political opponents in the loudest of voice. As far as the NDC is concerned, the sharper your teeth, the more likely you can win internal elections in the party. 

Anyway, congratulations to Peter Otukunu, Sammy Gyamfi, Godwin Ako Gunn of the notorious montie trio, Joshua Akamba, Hannah Louisa Bisiw, Kwaku Boahen and the others. We, in the NPP, are ever ready for you guys if you want us to play ball. However, we will never fire the first shot, but, we won’t sit unconcerned when provoked especially if you begin visiting your usual unsolicited vituperations on our political leaders. That, I can assure you, will not happen. After all, no one has monopoly over abrasive effusions.

The Clear Mafia Works Against Kojo Adu Asare 

Honestly speaking, I do not know what Kojo Adu Asare is still doing in the NDC. Hasn’t the party mafia him enough? Interestingly, he is one of their finest communicators speaking for the party on radio and tv on daily basis. But what does he get in return? Mafia here, mafia there, mafia everywhere he goes. They began by “mafiaring” him at their parliamentary primaries. He came to contest for a position at the International Olympic Committee, they followed him there and mafia him. They again mafia him at the GFA Committee for Brazil 2014. 

Last four years, at the party delegates Congress, Kojo Adu Asare contested for the Deputy General Secretary position of the party, they mafia him leading to his 7-vote loss. He continued to serve the party as if nothing had happened. He comes back, this year, to contest for the same position, and upon sensing that he was likely going to win, the party leadership deliberately ensured that his name didn’t appear on the ballot paper as well as on the collation sheet. Such a mafia work! How can you be this machiavellian and wicked to your own? Kojo Adu Asare [or should I say Justice Yeboah] should simply advise himself. The NDC doesn’t just need him. Simplicita!

The Triple-Track System 

To the dismay of all, a Congress that is supposed to last for just a day had gone not only into a 2^nd day but a 3^rd causing so much inconvenience to everybody at the Congress ground including their own supporters, observers and the media whose personnel had to spend 2 sleepless nights covering the Congress and at great cost to the media houses. Incompetence would not make them learn properly from the NPP which successfully held its 2018 National Delegates Conference in Koforidua without such issues. Incompetence would not tell them that they could not accommodate over 9,000 people at the Fantasy Dome of the Trade Fair.

Incompetence would not tell them that they needed more than 5 polling centres for the Congress. Incompetence would not tell them that they needed an open space with canopies to hold such a Congress. As it is turning out, they are not only incompetent in government, but they are, perhaps, even more incompetent in opposition. Well, you shouldn’t expect anything to be well organized by a political party that eats and drinks incompetence. Anyway, “congratulations” to the party delegates for receiving not less than GHc7,000 each to vote for the various candidates. Ghanaians certainly deserve better.

Assalamu alaik

Iddi Muhayu-Deen

#ForGodAndCountry

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FELIX KWAKYE OFOSU AND THE NDC EXPOSED FOR PLAYING POLITICS WITH THE DEATHS OF INNOCENT GHANAIANS ON THE ADENTA MADINA-HIGHWAY

 

Whilst the residents of Adenta and Madina are in great sorrow over the incessant killings of their own by running vehicles on the Adenta-Madina highway; whilst the family of the late Mariam Kassim are mourning the painful killing of their innocent daughter on the highway; whilst the whole nation is mourning; whilst President Akufo-Addo and Vice President Alhaji Bawumia are commiserating with the bereaved families and friends of all persons that lost loved ones as a result of accident recorded on the highway; whilst everybody is saddened by this development, our colleagues in the NDC see an opportunity to take advantage of the situation and make political capital.

Appearing on Newsfile, Ghana’s finest weekend news analysis show, on Saturday, November 10, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, a Former Deputy Communications Minister, Aide to President John Mahama and lead communicator for the opposition NDC, clearly demonstrated the NDC’s grand scheme of going all out to seek to make political capital out of the situation. When giving this big platform to contribute to the discussion, the pulse of the nation didn’t matter to Felix Kwakye Ofosu, the excruciating pains of the families of the innocent girl who was killed on the highway didn’t matter to Felix, the overwhelming calls on relevant state institutions to take responsibility and act accordingly didn’t matter to Felix.

None of these mattered to Felix Kwakye Ofosu and his NDC. What mattered to Felix was how to make political capital out of the situation for his NDC. So, what does he do? He puts every blame on President Akufo-Addo and calls on Ghanaians to be angry with the President for being responsible for all the deaths recoded on the highway. Obviously, to Felix, this is what will make Ghanaians vote against President Akufo-Addo and bring back his darling John Mahama so that, he, Felix, will possibly be made Information Minister [or is it propaganda Minister]. Such an insensitive and opportunistic narcissist!

Even in doing this petty politics, he won’t do it with finesse and competence, because, of course, competence is not in the NDC lexicon. So, he goes peddling falsehoods and engaging in selective amnesia. Fortunately, the highly respected and celebrated Abdul Malik Kweku Baako was there at the right time to expose such an “opportunistic liar” and lay bare all the relevant documented facts on the matter to the shock of Felix and the NDC. First and all, per the undisputed facts, documentations were finalized in September 2018 and a chunk of the required funds for the construction of the Madina-Adenta Highway was secured before the Mills-Mahama NDC administration took over.

For eight (8) good years, the NDC government couldn’t complete this project which includes the construction of the six footbridges, which is largely blamed for all the needless deaths on the highway. Indeed, the NDC government’s own documents reveal that, by 2014, the footbridges were 75% complete. Since 2014 till now, work on the footbridges had completely stalled over contractual and monetary issues. So, going by Felix Kwakye’s logic, if we were to engage in the apportionment of blames, is it the NDC that had good 8 years and yet couldn’t complete the construction of the footbridges or the NPP that had less than 2 years that should take a chunk of the blame?

Well, you (Felix Kwakye Ofosu and the NDC) can play all the propaganda with the deaths of your fellow countrymen and women, but Abdul Malik Kweku Baako and other discerning Ghanaians will expose you. We are NOT unintelligent.

Iddi Muhayu-Deen

#ForGodAndCountry 

KNUST UTAG AND TEWU MUST GET SERIOUS AND SUBJECT THEMSELVES TO LAWFUL ENGAGEMENTS FOR PURPOSES OF RESTORING SANITY IN KNUST

By Iddi Muhayu-Deen

I honestly think that Ghanaians have had enough of the intransigence of KNUST UTAG and TEWU on their failure to appreciate the wisdom behind the need to RECONSTITUTE a new Governing Council to man the affairs of the ‘trouble-ridden University’. You don’t need to have a sense of good judgment to know that the old council had completely lost legitimacy for superintending over such gross human rights abuses, draconian regime, organized lawlessness and institutionalized impunity against their students.

You don’t need a sense of good judgment to know that the old governing council of the university that visited such excruciating and inexplicable injustices upon the students culminating in the violent demonstration of October 22, which led to the closure of the school, CANNOT be brought back. This is so basic and commonsensical that I expect even a primary 3 pupil to understand. So I ask, what at all is the motive of these lecturers and TEWU members for insisting that their reps in the old discredited council should be included in the new yet to be constituted governing council? I am just unable to come to terms with their disingenuous disposition and the poverty of their logic in this conversation.

You want to bring back the old governing council because of whose “recklessness and incompetence”, the ordinary Ghanaian taxpayer is now going to cough up over GHc1.7 which is the estimated cost of the destructions arising from the violent demonstration? Are you serious?  And because you are being told that it is unreasonable to do this unthinkable act, you are threatening to withdraw your services and embark on an indefinite strike? Wow! I guess you deserve a clap for this.

But what then happens to the basic principle of people taking responsibility for their actions and inactions? Why do we subject people to disciplinary actions for alleged wrongdoing? How do we, the taxpayers (who are invariably going to pay for these damages) get justice if the very people who caused this mess are allowed to remain at post, whilst the matter is being investigated? How do the students get justice? Since the action(s) of the previous council is a subject-matter for investigation, how can they be investigating themselves? How can they be judges in their own case?

Doesn’t this make nonsense of the uncompromising principle of Natural Justice on the rule against bias which finds expression in the legal maxim, nemo judex in causa sua? Is this not a very fundamental principle of law that is respected and upheld in all jurisdictions? Is this not the very principle upheld by the courts of Ghana in Akufo-Addo v Quarshie Idun, Exparte Mobile, Republic v Constitutional Committee Chairman; Exparte Braimah II, Adzaku v Galenku, Ex-parte Ameyaw II, Sasu v Amua Sakyi and Ex-parte Awusu II among several others?

Okay, since you [UTAG and TEWU] claim you are talking law and due process, let me debate you in your so called comfort zone. Now, we are not talking logic but law. But before that, I wish to admit that I was initially wrong when I said the President and for that matter government was not the appointing authority for the KNUST governing council and therefore, per Article 297 of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana, government couldn’t have disappointed or dissolved the governing council because it was not the appointing authority.

However, upon some education I got from some lawyer friends of mine and my subsequent reading of Article 70 of the Constitution together with the KNUST Act, (Act 80), I came to the inevitable conclusion that the President [government] was indeed the appointing authority of the KNUST governing council. The other bodies or constituencies only make nominations for the President to exercise the powers vested in him in Article 70 to appoint the persons so nominated into the governing council. Since the President is the appointing authority, he certainly, per Article 279 has the power to disappoint or dissolve the council.

The KNUST Act, however so problematically couched, cannot be read to take away the president’s appointing authority under Article 70 of the Constitution. The constitution is the supreme law of Ghana and per Article 1(2), any other law found to be inconsistent with any provision of the Constitution shall be void to the extent of the inconsistency. Also, KNUST, being a public University just like UG, UDS, UEW etc, cannot have an Act that is so inconsistent with the Acts of all the other public Universities particularly in respect of the appointment of members of governing council.

Even with the KNUST Act (Act 80), when the sole Statute Law Revision Commissioner of Ghana, VCRAC Crabbe, whose office revised the Laws of Ghana from 1852 to 2004 in seven volumes, took away the powers of the PNDC Secretary to make appointments into the KNUST council, it failed to specifically mention who was to effect the appointment. The KNUST Act, as it stands now, Section 7(1) of Act 80 only states that, “The governing body of the University shall be the University Council which shall consist of the following members appointed by the PNDC”. It proceeds to mention the members including 7(1)(g), that talks about “a representative of the Committee for the Defence of the Revolution of the University”.

Let anybody tell me whether the PNDC is still in existence and whether it was the PNDC that appointed the members of the council that was recently dissolved. Let anybody tell me whether we had a representative of the Committee for the Defence of the Revolution in the council, as provided by the Act. This only tells us how archaic and inoperative the KNUST Act has become particularly Section 7. It also tells us how Parliament has failed the nation in its law making functions. It appears we pay people “fat fat salaries” for not doing much. Our institutions of state seem not to be working.

I am not surprised that as a nation, we still do not have a single document governing tertiary education in the country, and yet we pride ourselves as the beacon of hope in Africa. How ironic and shameful! Mr. President, this, respectfully, doesn’t make me feel proud to call myself a citizen; perhaps, I’m better off as a spectator if this is all we have to show for being citizens.  

So, members of KNUST UTAG and TEWU, you can see clearly that, the only inevitable logical inference that can be drawn from the reading of Section 7 of Act 80 as well as Article 70 of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana is that, the President and for that matter the government of Ghana is the appointing authority of the University Council. Nowhere in the KNUST Act does it say that TEWU and UTAG should nominate people to serve on the council. So, if I were to advise government, I would say government should ignore you [KNUST UTAG and TEWU] and go ahead to appoint people from your fold to represent you in the council.

Government has been too magnanimous with you people pleading with you to nominate a representative each for appointment other than the individuals who served in the previous council that caused the mess. Is this a rocket science that you can’t understand? Well, if you think the Asantehene has the legal authority to appoint a governing council that would include your preference, just go ahead and let him do that and inaugurate the council. If you think government is acting unlawfully, just go to court and challenge same. And let’s see whether your internal regulation of choosing a so called council rep is subservient or superior to the laws of Ghana. We are NOT unintelligent. Enough!!

Asslamu alaik

Iddi Muhayu-Deen

#ForGodAndCountry