Tsatsu Tsikata demands compensation for SALL over 2020 election exclusion
Private legal practitioner Tsatsu Tsikata has called on the state to compensate residents of Santrokofi, Akpafu, Likpe and Lolobi (SALL) for what he describes as their exclusion from parliamentary representation during Ghana’s Eighth Parliament.
Speaking at an honorary lecture at the University of Professional Studies Accra last Wednesday, Mr Tsikata argued that the creation of the Oti Region under Constitutional Instrument 112 resulted in the affected communities being left without a Member of Parliament after the 2020 general election.
He maintained that subsequent measures, including the creation of the Guan District and Guan Constituency ahead of the 2024 elections, did not sufficiently address the consequences of that exclusion.
“It cannot be said that the subsequent creation of a Guan District and a Guan Constituency is sufficient to remedy the injustice to the people of SALL,” he said.
“For one thing, the mere denomination of a district and a constituency does not provide the development resources that are the legitimate aspiration of the people,” he stated.
Mr Tsikata contended that beyond the absence of parliamentary representation, the affected communities were also denied access to development opportunities typically channelled through Members of Parliament.
“For the period they lacked representation in Parliament and their share of the resources that could have been available through a Member of Parliament, I dare say they are owed reparation,” he stated.
Describing the situation as a “historic injustice”, he attributed the development to decisions taken by the Electoral Commission of Ghana, which he said effectively disenfranchised eligible voters in the area during the 2020 parliamentary polls.
“Please remember that the EC itself has admitted that it would have been illegal to have asked the voters in those areas to vote in the Buem Constituency in December 2020,” he noted.
“Yet, that is what the constitutional instrument which the EC has claimed in its defence to the election petition to be the applicable instrument.”
He added that the matter remains before the courts, with affected residents continuing to pursue legal redress over their exclusion from the electoral process.
