Assembly Elections In Lower Manya Krobo Hang In Balance?

The fate of electorates at Akuse in respect of the upcoming assembly elections in the Lower Manya Krobo municipality is in a balance as the Supreme Court sits today to determine the merit or otherwise of a motion for an interlocutory injunction restraining the Electoral Commission (EC) from conducting elections in the area. The suit, which was brought against the Attorney General, the EC, the Lower Manya Krobo Municipal Assembly and the Shai Osudoku District Assembly by Paul Obroni and George Amanor of the Osudoku traditional area, is seeking to prevent the EC from holding the elections in six of the 31 electoral areas in the municipality namely Zongo, Akutue, Salon, Osorkutu, Amedeka and Bangalow. The plaintiffs are seeking, among others, a determination of whether Akuse (for that matter the affected electoral areas) forms part of the Shai Osudoku District in the Greater Accra Region or the Lower Manya Krobo municipality of the Eastern Region. The EC has fixed Tuesday, December 3, 2013 for the elections which had been on hold since December 2010, affecting among others the nomination and approval of a substantive Chief Executive for the municipality. When the Daily Graphic visited the town, the electoral areas including the Akuse township were awash with notices of poll and posters of the various candidates while the indigenes were noticeably anxious for the day when they would once again elect their local representatives to complete the chain in the local governance set up. A total of 110 candidates made up of 107 males and three females are in a hot chase for the 31 seats while 229 made up of two 227 males and two females are contesting for the various unit committee slots. The last assembly election to have been held in the municipality was in 2006. Comparatively, the EC recorded an overwhelming show of interest which many have attributed to the long delay and the publicity that has characterised the legal tussle. The Returning Officer for the Lower Manya Krobo municipality, Mr Anthony Opoku-Acheampong, said the EC was on course with its timetable and would conduct the elections on Tuesday, December 3, 2013, barring any hitch. He indicated that as part of the processes in the lead up to the elections, returning officers had been recruited and trained to train the other electoral officers to man the various polling stations on the day of the elections. He said notices of elections, nomination and poll had long been posted at vantage areas in the entire municipality as required by law and followed with the mounting of platform to introduce the candidates to the electorates in their various electoral areas. �That exercise is even underway as we speak and is expected to run until November 28, 2013�, he added. Mr Acheampong stated that the last batch of exercises lined up ahead of the day included the training of other electoral officers such as deputy returning officers, verification officer, presiding officer and ballot issuers. Mr Benjamin Awule Mensah, a candidate for Odumase South Electoral Area said, �this election is long overdue; it has to come to pass this time round to pave way for the constitution of a full assembly to facilitate the development of the municipality�.