Court Stops Abuakwa North Assembly Inauguration

The Koforidua high court in the Eastern Region has placed an interlocutory injunction on the inauguration of the Abuakwa North Municipal Assembly.

The inauguration was to take place today, March 15, at Akyem-Kukurantumi, where the district capital is to be located.

DAILY GUIDE gathered that the injunction was filed and served on the Attorney General, the Local Government Minister and the East Akyem Municipal Chief Executive, Owusu Twum-Ampofo, on Wednesday, March 14, 2018, by two plaintiffs – Adjei Boateng and Addo Sarpong – all of Old Tafo in the Eastern Region.

The motion will be moved on Tuesday, April 10, 2018.

Counsel for the plaintiffs, Godwin Kudzo Tamaklo, said the two plaintiffs want the court to direct the Government of Ghana to make Akyem Tafo the district capital of the Abuakwa North Municipal Assembly.

In a 14-point statement of claim, the plaintiffs contended that Akyem Tafo houses the Electoral Commission office, the District Police headquarters, Ghana Water Company Ltd, Electricity Company of Ghana, the District Magistrate Court, Central Market and two public senior high schools.

The statement indicated that prior to the establishment of the assembly, traditional authorities in the Tafo Traditional Area wrote a petition to President Akufo-Addo dated January 24, 2018, proposing that the municipal capital be situated at Akyem Tafo.

Plaintiffs argued that Akyem Tafo is the most economically viable town in the new municipality, and therefore, ought to be the district capital.

It added that the area satisfies all criteria for the citing of the municipal capital.

The plaintiffs claim that out of the 16 elected assembly members, nine are from Akyem Tafo with only two from Akyem Kukurantumi and therefore, for the smooth running of the assembly, Tafo should be the more reasonable choice as the municipal capital.

 

FROM Daniel Bampoe, Koforidua

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