President-elect Nana Akufo-Addo has underscored his government’s commitment to fulfilling campaign promises made to the Western Region including the splitting of the region and the relocation of the headquarters of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC).
On the creation of an eleventh region out of the Western Region which may be called the Western-North Region, Nana Akufo-Addo said he expected the constitutionally mandated referendum on the issue to happen in 2018
.
“I committed myself and my government to the creation of a new region out of this vast region which, for the time being, we are calling the Western-North. That commitment is high on the list of priorities of our government.”
“By the time of the next district assembly elections in 2018, all the constitutional and legal procedures would have taken place and the referendum that the constitution calls for is going to take place together with that exercise,” he said.
The President-elect was speaking at the Western Regional house of Chiefs in Sekondi during his thank-you tour of the region to thank the chiefs and people for their support and prayers in the just ended polls that resulted in his comprehensive election victory.
Nana Akufo-Addo also assured that the pledge to relocate GNPC to the Western Region was not an empty promise.
“The commitments that we have made are commitments that are going to be fulfilled. They were not platform or campaign talk. They were full commitments that we made… We are going to relocate the headquarters of GNPC to this region.”
Among other things, Nana Akufo-Addo also made mention of the eastern and western railway lines saying, we are going to leverage the monies that you [the Western Region] bring to the national exchequer, especially from the oil, to compete and rehabilitate the eastern and western railway lines.”
Read Article 5 of the 1992 constitution on creation of regions
(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.
(6) An issue referred for determination by referendum under clauses (4) and (5) shall not be taken to determined by the referendum unless at least fifty percent of the persons entitled to vote cast their votes at the referendum, and of the votes cast at least eighty per cent were cast in favour of that issue.
(7) Where a referendum involves the merger of two or more regions, the issue shall not be taken to be determined unless at least sixty per cent of the persons entitled to vote at the referendum in each such region voted in favour of the merger of the two or more regions; and accordingly, clause (6) of this article shall not apply to the referendum.
(8) The President shall, under clause (1) of this article, and acting in accordance with the results of the referendum held under clauses (4) and (5) of this article, issue a constitutional instrument giving effect, or enabling effect to be given, to the results.
On the creation of an eleventh region out of the Western Region which may be called the Western-North Region, Nana Akufo-Addo said he expected the constitutionally mandated referendum on the issue to happen in 2018
.
“I committed myself and my government to the creation of a new region out of this vast region which, for the time being, we are calling the Western-North. That commitment is high on the list of priorities of our government.”
“By the time of the next district assembly elections in 2018, all the constitutional and legal procedures would have taken place and the referendum that the constitution calls for is going to take place together with that exercise,” he said.
The President-elect was speaking at the Western Regional house of Chiefs in Sekondi during his thank-you tour of the region to thank the chiefs and people for their support and prayers in the just ended polls that resulted in his comprehensive election victory.
Nana Akufo-Addo also assured that the pledge to relocate GNPC to the Western Region was not an empty promise.
“The commitments that we have made are commitments that are going to be fulfilled. They were not platform or campaign talk. They were full commitments that we made… We are going to relocate the headquarters of GNPC to this region.”
Among other things, Nana Akufo-Addo also made mention of the eastern and western railway lines saying, we are going to leverage the monies that you [the Western Region] bring to the national exchequer, especially from the oil, to compete and rehabilitate the eastern and western railway lines.”
Read Article 5 of the 1992 constitution on creation of regions
(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.
(6) An issue referred for determination by referendum under clauses (4) and (5) shall not be taken to determined by the referendum unless at least fifty percent of the persons entitled to vote cast their votes at the referendum, and of the votes cast at least eighty per cent were cast in favour of that issue.
(7) Where a referendum involves the merger of two or more regions, the issue shall not be taken to be determined unless at least sixty per cent of the persons entitled to vote at the referendum in each such region voted in favour of the merger of the two or more regions; and accordingly, clause (6) of this article shall not apply to the referendum.
(8) The President shall, under clause (1) of this article, and acting in accordance with the results of the referendum held under clauses (4) and (5) of this article, issue a constitutional instrument giving effect, or enabling effect to be given, to the results.
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