Private legal practitioner lawyer Ben Tachie Antiedu has described the decision by the Electoral Commission (EC), to prevent electorates of the Buem constituency in the Oti Region to only participate in the presidential and not in the parliamentary election, as unconstitutional.
He explained that the action by the EC will deprive the electorates of electing a member of parliament to represent them.
The Electoral Commission has announced that electorates of the Buem constituency in the Oti Region will only participate in the presidential and not in the parliamentary election.
According to a statement issued by the Commission this is due to the creation of the Guan district local government (Guan District Assembly) (Establishment) Instrument, 2020 and pending the creation of the Guan constituency.
“Voters in the Guan District are to take note of this Directive front the Electoral Commission,” the statement read.
But reacting to this statement, the lawyer said this is unconstitutional.
He quizzed whether the electorates would not have an MP in the next parliament.
He suggested the electorates should have been allowed to vote then later the EC could have organized an election another time after creating the new constituency.
He noted that the law is clear and at general elections, every voter must be assigned to a constituency.
He added that all eligible voters must participate fully in the ongoing polls and should not be deprived on grounds that they are yet to get a new constituency created for them.
To him, where there is a new constituency created after the general election the voters can vote to elect an MP.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com
