Former President John Agyekum Kufuor has stated categorically that he never created any constituencies, but rather his government created districts in consultation with the relevant bodies, after the Electoral Commission (EC) had created those 30 constituencies on its own.
Against this backdrop, Mr Kufuor pointed out that the mechanisms by which the 45 new constituencies were being created as well as the time-table by which they were to operate, flew in the face of good governance and there was so much lack of transparency in the whole process.
�Some have erroneously opined that I created 30 new constituencies during my time and so why do I seek to prevent the EC from doing the same now, but I didn�t create constituencies,� he said.
He stressed that during his administration, the EC created the
constituencies one whole year before the general elections, but this time around, the time span was practically two months after the end of September this year, should parliament find no fault with the Legislative Instrument.
He pointed out that it would be too short a time for the selection of constituency party executives, selection of parliamentary candidates and for any meaningful campaigning to take place in those constituencies, asking, �In such a short time, how can the electorate know their constituency boundaries and know the different candidates vying for their mandate?�
The former president stated these at the Second Centenary Public Lecture organized by Our Lady Star of the Sea Cathedral, celebrating 100 years of Catholic Faith last Saturday in Takoradi, on the theme: �Good Governance for Peace and Development�.
Former President Kufuor, who is a staunch Catholic, reminded Ghanaians that the Constitution�s demand for transparency and accountability transcended all its institutions, including the Electoral Commission.
�The intransigence of the Electoral Commission, if it stuck to its
guns, would amount to a deliberate rejection of an appreciation of the letter and spirit of the constitution, which is the basis of any rule of law,� he stressed.
He told the gathering that good governance was now the barometer by which all governments were measured, and the African Union, recognizing this, had instituted the African Peer Review Mechanism by which African governments rated one another in terms of their adherence to its principles.
He said Ghana must do everything to deepen good governance in order to uphold peace, hence his recent appeal to the EC to suspend the creation of the additional constituencies for this year�s elections.
�Do not let us create problems where there are none. Let us not ruin the peace we have. The time has come for all to join the debate to ensure that the right thing is done, and our peace is preserved,� he stated.
Nana Kobina Nketsiah V, Paramount Chief of Essikado Traditional Area said peace was a very important commodity which could not be exchanged for any other thing and asked Ghanaians to treasure the peace they were enjoying.
He commended the Catholic Church for the role it had played over the years in transforming lives, in helping develop the country in the fields of education, health, social service and skills training.
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