A group by name United Volta Youth is calling on the President of the National House of Chiefs to step down for questioning the rationale behind the YES campaign and calling on the electorate to vote NO.
In a press release issued by the group, they stated that "The leader of the National House of Chiefs has tainted his position with extreme partisan views, the very views he claims his outfit frowns upon, and this is inimical to the cohesion we expect to see in the traditional authority."
Full statement below...
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, in his desire to strengthen our democracy by making sure that our local governance structures are enhanced through the participation of political parties and to also reduce the cancerous phenomenon the winner takes all syndrome breeds, has decided to cede some of his powers to the electorate.
In doing so, the President consulted all the three former presidents of the Republic and held discussions on how best to go about it. Political parties, he stressed, should be allowed to contest in the district assembly elections as well as MMDCEs should also be elected on partisan basis, and this was the agreement.
To effect that, the entrenched constitutional provision of Article 55 (3) must be amended through a referendum. To this end, the YES campaign train began with all the political parties in support.
Then on the 12th day of November, 2019, the opposition National Democratic Congress, in a move seen by many as treacherous, stabbed the YES campaign vehicle in the back with a switch to NO. The National Chairman of the party, Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, has since asked all NDC members to vote NO on the day of the elections.
No sooner had the NDC changed course than a communiqué purported to have come from the National House of Chiefs came out, questioning the rationale behind the YES campaign and calling on the electorate to vote NO instead. The communiqué further averred that Nananom had reached a consensus on the matter and this was signed by Togbe Afede VIX and Daasebre Nana Kweku Ewusi VII, the President and Vice President respectively of the traditional authority.
Soon after this strange communiqué from the National House of Chiefs, Ogyeahoho Yaw Gyebi, the President of the Western Regional House of Chiefs who also doubles as the leader of the Governance Committee of the authority, the committee that has jurisdictional powers over such matters, came out to dispute the claims made by Togbe Afede and his partner in crime.
According to Ogyeahoho Yaw Gyebi, no such meetings were held by the body to deliberate on the referendum, let alone ask Ghanaians to vote NO.
Togbe Afede VIX came out with dates on which some of the meetings he claimed had been held but it was to be disputed, once again by Nana S. K. B. Asante.
According to Nana S. K. B. Asante, no meeting had been held by the National House of Chiefs which had the referendum as part of the agenda or the main one. He could not fathom how such misinformation could be sent out there when the group was yet to meet and discuss the matter in issue.
The Okyehene, Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin also waded into the issue by stating emphatically that the National House of Chiefs had met nowhere to deliberate on the referendum and could not understand why such a misconception could be propagated by Togbe Afede as a decision representing the views of all the members of the National House of Chiefs.
In the light of these, Togbe Afede VIX has acted arbitrarily. He has arrogated powers to himself which should not be the case. He sought to engaging in some self-serving, parochial interests based upon reasons not consistent with the workings of the body.
The leader of the National House of Chiefs has tainted his position with extreme partisan views, the very views he claims his outfit frowns upon, and this is inimical to the cohesion we expect to see in the traditional authority.
For going out of his way to issue such a statement without the knowledge of the other members, for sidestepping the rules of engagement of the body, for engaging in an act that shows him supporting the beliefs of one political grouping, and for putting the name of the revered institution into disrepute, Togbe Afede has compromised his position as the President of the National House of Chiefs and must accordingly step down.
CONVENERS
0244955021
Sammy Kwasi Ganuvi
MARTIN-JERRY AGBOMADZI
0500016676
KWAME D. AKPABLIE
0243329350
Source: Peacefmonline.com
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They have been paid to come out to ask the chief to resign. This is the exact reason why people should vote 'NO'. It is as if the country only belong to politicians and people have made it their job. They only seek for themselves and their families. This is the reason why voting these days in elections is not useful.
***barred word*** boys,stop hiding behind NPP and stop the senseless thing.
IT IS NOT FOR NOTHING THAT GHANA CONSTITUTION DISCOURAGES CHIEFS FROM GETTING INVOLVED IN PARTISAN POLITICS. THE CALL FROM TOGBE AFEDE FOR NO VOTE WAS VERY UNFORTUNATE. THE YES AND NO VOTES BECAME PARTISAN AT THE VERY MOMENT NDC HELD THE PRESS CONFERENCE TO CALL FOR NO VOTE. THE NDC PULLOUT FROM THE AGREEMENT WITH NPP AT PARLIAMENT AND AT OTHER FORUMS TO SPONSOR YES VOTE SHARPLY DREW THE BATTLE LINE FOR THE TWO PARTIES. WITH THAT ENTRENCHED POSITIONS, IT BECAME LACK OF DISCRETION FOR ANY OPINION LEADER, CHIEF OR PASTOR, TO TAKE ANY OF THE STAND OF THE PARTIES. SOME OPINION LEADERS NOTICED THAT FAST AND DISCERNED BETTER. THEY CALLED FOR THE POSTPONEMENT OR THE CANCELLATION OF THE REFERENDUM FOR FURTHER AND A BETTER DISCUSSIONS. IN FACT MANY ACROSS THE NATION HAVE DEMANDED FOR PARLIAMENT TO PASS THE LAW TO ELECT THE MMDCES AS WE DO FOR THE ASSEMBLY MEN AND WOMEN BEFORE WE TAKE THE NEXT STEP TO THINK OF WHETHER MAKING THE ENTIRE DISTRICT ELECTION PARTISAN OR NOT. ONE STEP AT A TIME. IT IS ARGUED THAT WE CAN UNDERSTAND THE PROS AND CONS OF THE PARTISAN ELECTION OF THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT BETTER WHEN WE GET TO ELECT THE MMDES TOGETHER WITH ASSEMBLY MEN AND WOMEN; AND OPERATE THE ENTIRE ASSEMBLIES UNDER ONE SAME PRINCIPLES.THE ELECTION OF THE ASSEMBLIES FOR THE PRESIDENT TO NOMINATE THE MMDCES IS INCONSISTENT AND POLITICALLY CONFUSED AND WEIRD. MMDCES MUST BE ELECTED JUST LIKE THE ASSEMBLY MEN AND WOMEN. THEN WE GIVE OURSELVES SOME TIME TO STUDY TO KNOW WHETHER THE NEW SYSTEM WOULD WORK OR NOT BEFORE WE THINK OF ANY REFORM. IT IS SAD THAT TOGBE AFEDE BY HIS POSITION COULD NOT GUIDE THE NATION TOWARD SUCH DIRECTION BUT UNNECESSARILY PUSHED THE NATIONAL HOUSE OF CHIEFS TO BECOME INVOLVED IN THE ***barred word*** PARTISAN POLITICS IN GHANA. (ABENAATEABA KOFIADUNANA NYAME KESSE)
Tell the so call conviners, that we the youth of volta well not stand to low for their myopic agenda. We are given sammy ganuvi and jerry Abgomadzi and kwame Akpale 3 days to retracts the action and also offer an unqualified apology to the president of the national house of chief else we leach them up. We the refuse we will go after their families. Such ones are the problem in our state.
***barred word*** talk. You have not asked Osafo Marfo to resign and you are there talking ***barred word***.
Exactly the reason why promoting taking party lines down there will not favor anybody. You will hear youth of community xyz whose chief does not sing the tune of the government of the day agitating for him to be dis-tooled.
Issues on referenda or referendums if you like are A-Political.They even cris cross political associations.A case in point is the Brexit Referendum.Both major parties had Remain and Exit votes.We can safely say that within NPP and NDC we have Yes and No votes.So where is the politics here? Leave the respected Chief alone just as I advocated for Commissioner Bossman Asare last week. Anyways,I am advocating for a HECK YES!
FAKE NPPIGS TURNED VOLTA YOUTH IF YOU DON'T HAVE ANYTHING DOING I WILL GIVE YOU JOB TO DO; GO TELL YOUR PRESIDENT AKUFO ADDO AND DEPUTY EC COMMISSIONER BOSSMAN WHO ARE BOTH CAMPAIGNING FOR YES VOTE TO RATHER RESIGN. BY THE WAY EVEN IF AKUFO ADDO AND THE NPPIGS GOVERNMENT DECIDE TO POSTPONE OR CANCEL THE 17TH DECEMBER REFERENDUM, WE SHALL STILL PRINT BALLOT AND VOTE BIG NO!!!
ARE YOU SURE YOU PEOPLE ARE NOT NPP LOYALTIES? ASSUMING THE AGREE ON YES VOTE, WOULD YOU ISSUE STATEMENT? IF YOU CALL YOURSELF UNITED YOUTH WOULD THIS UNITE U AND THE CHIEF?
SOMETIMES I WONDER IF THIS MAN IS IN THE COUNTRY AND HAVE NOT FOUND IT DISTURBING TO VOICE OUT ABOUT THIS ***barred word*** EWE SECESSIONIST THING BUT RATHER HAVE TIME FOR YES AND NO REFERENDUM.