Proposed National House of Chiefs expansion unconstitutional — Togbui Binah Lawluvi VI
The Volta Region representative on the Council of State, Togbui Binah Lawluvi VI, has said the proposed expansion of the membership of the National House of Chiefs is unconstituional.
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He indicated that increasing the membership from 50 to 100 with the inclusion of queens was not in accordance with the 1992 Constitution even though very laudable.
He argued that Article 271, clause two of the constitution states that: “The house of chiefs of each region shall elect as members, five paramount chiefs from the region” so it was clear that the constitution limited the membership of National House of Chiefs to 50.
Togbui Lawluvi VI, therefore, said that the best the National House of Chiefs could do was to ensure that the queens formed part of nominations from the regional houses of chiefs of which at least two of them could be queens.
He said the National House of Chiefs could call for an amendment of this constitutional provision and also appeal to parliament to amend the relevant section of the Chieftaincy Act to admit queens to the regional houses of chiefs in accordance with Article 274, clause two, which states that each regional house of chief shall consist of such members as parliament by law would determine.
Togbui Lawluvi VI, who is the Paramount Chief of Ziope Traditional Area in the Agotime-Ziope District, digressed into this topical issue when he wished the people of the Volta Region a happy New Year and expressed the hope that they would witness a positive change in their lives and also thanked them for electing him to serve on the Council of State.
He promised to do his best to champion the development of the region through an open door policy to enable all citizens of the region to contribute and brainstorm on how best to achieve their developmental goals.
Togbui Lawluvi VI said an education endowment fund was to be set up to promote education in the region, due to the current declining standards. He entreated all well-meaning citizens to contribute generously towards the fund.
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He disclosed that he had diagnosed the problems of the region after his assumption of office and found out that “they were very complex and hydra-headed.”
Togbui Lawluvi VI said he had also held discussions on the problems of the region with well-meaning citizens and politicians and had come to the conclusion that the developmental aspirations of the region could best be served if another region was carved out of the present region.