Pimampim Yaw Kagbrese V addressing journalists
THE PETITIONERS calling for the carving of the proposed Bono East Region out of the existing Brong-Ahafo Region, made their first appearance before the Justice Stephen Alan Brobbey’s Commission of Enquiry yesterday in Accra to defend their calls for the creation of the proposed Bono East Region.
About 16 traditional areas from the Bono East side of the Brong-Ahafo Region are those pushing for the new region and are doing so through a committee called the Coordinating Committee for the Creation of the Bono East Region.
The said committee is composed of chiefs, queen mothers, opinion leaders and youth leaders from Bono East, and they appeared before the nine-member commission in their numbers to argue out their case.
Already, other petitioners from the same region are also calling for the creation of the Ahafo Region out of the Brong-Ahafo – meaning that should both petitions be granted by the commission, the Brong Ahafo would be split into three.
Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the meeting held at the conference room of the Osu Castle – former seat of government – spokesperson for the Coordinating Committee for the Creation of the Bono East Region, Pimampim Yaw Kagbrese V, Omanhene of Yeji and President of the BA Regional House of Chiefs, said Bono East is fit to be a region on its own.
According to him, the Bono East area has all it requires to be a region and thus, must be granted a regional status.
The Justice Brobbey Commission was formed by President Akufo-Addo under Constitutional Instrument (CI) 105 to among other things, inquire, pursuant to petitions, into the need and substantial demand for the creation of new regions and, thereby, the alteration of the Western Region, Brong-Ahafo Region, Northern Region and Volta Region. About six new regions have been proposed for their creation.
The same CI 105 mandates the commission to make recommendations to the president, based on its findings, and to specify the issues to be determined by referendum and the places where the referendum should be held, where it makes recommendation for the creation and alteration of regions.
At its first sitting on Tuesday, November 21, the commission met with petitioners from the Western Region who are pushing for the creation of the Western North Region; on Wednesday, November 22, it granted petitioners from the Volta Region who are calling for the establishment of the proposed Oti Region out of the Volta Region, the opportunity to make their case and it met with the first batch of petitioners from the Brong-Ahafo on November 23.
The meetings are being held in camera and journalists are only allowed to cover the introductory sessions and have brief interactions with the petitioners.
According to the Omanhene of Yeji, the Brong-Ahafo is too vast in terms of geography and population to be a single region.
He expressed the optimism that the petitioners stand the chance of having their demands granted by the commission.
Petitioners from the Northern Region (Gonja Land) are expected to appear before the commission today, November 29, and on December 5, those from Mamprugu side of the Northern Region will also appear before it.
BY Melvin Tarlue