Some concerned citizens in the Keta Municipality of the Volta Region have petitioned the Electoral Commission (EC) to conduct a by-election in the Anyako Electoral Area.
The call came as Mr. Wisdom Seade, the Assembly Member of the Anyako Electoral Area was elevated to the position of the Keta Municipal Chief (MCE) position, making the position vacant.
Mr. Gilbert Korbla Keklie, a citizen of the Municipality, in a petition to the Electoral Commission, dated August 14, and copied to the Ghana News Agency, argued that the current representation in the Anyako Electoral Area was inadequate.
“In the quest to defend the 1992 constitution, l write to officially notify the EC that it has violated provisions as indicated supra of an Act of Parliament of Ghana Article 11(1)(b) of the constitution,” he stated.
He explained that in March 2025, in accordance with article 243 (1) of the 1992 constitution, Mr. Wisdom Seade, the then Assembly member of Anyako electoral area was appointed the MCE of Keta, which demanded for procedures by the EC to conduct a by-election.
He said that in accordance with Section 10(5) (c) of the Local Governance Act, 2016 (Act 936) as amended and per the attached letter dated April 15,2025, Mr. Seade has resigned as the Assembly member of Anyako electoral area, but the EC has failed to conduct by-election since then.
“The secretary of the Keta Municipal Assembly has on May 15,2025 notified Keta EC about the resignation of Mr. Seade from his position as Assembly member of Anyako electoral area.”
Mr. Keklie said that per the letter dated June 9, 2025, the Keta EC has confirmed that the secretary to the Municipal assembly had complied with section 10(7) of the Local Governance Act 2016 (936).
He stated that the conditions proposed by the commission to compile list of all vacant electoral areas nationwide before conducting a by-election at Anyako electoral area was not grounded in law and same amount to breaches of Section 10(5) and (7) of the Local Governance Act 2016 (Act 936)
He added that, “This is because, even the electoral Commission of Ghana does not wait to compile list of vacant seats in Parliament before conducting a by-election if a vacancy occurs in Parliament.”
Mr. Keklie demanded that the EC shall, within 7 days from day one of receiving the notification, take steps to conduct a by-election at Anyako electoral area of the Keta Municipality to serve the area of fair representation in the Assembly.
He warned that, if the request were not meet within the stipulated period, he would further apply for judicial review in the nature of Mandamus at the High Court in the line with Article 141 of the 1992 constitution of Ghana and Order 55 of C.I 47, 2004 as amended to compel the EC to conduct by-election at Anyako.
Mr. Wisdom Seade, the former Assembly member of Anyako electoral area and the MCE of Keta also indicated that all necessary efforts were been put in place to pursue EC to conduct a by-election at Anyako for the area to have full representation in the assembly.
He urged citizens of Keta Municipality to remain calm and wait for the EC to put up the necessary items together for the by-election.
Some other citizens of the area GNA engaged also expressed worry about the situation with the electoral process and called on the EC to institute its constitutional mandate to ensure fair representation and conduct free and fair elections for the area.
The EC was responsible for compiling the register of voters, demarcating electoral boundaries, and conducting public elections and referenda, and commission is expected to make regulations for the effective performance of its functions, including voter registration and election conduct.
According to Article 42 of the 1992 Constitution, every citizen has the right to vote, and the EC was mandated to ensure that all citizens have equal access to the electoral process.
Meanwhile, many believed that if the petition is successful, the EC may be required to conduct a by-election in the Anyako electoral area which would possibly involve a new electoral process, including voter registration, nomination of candidates, and voting.
Source: GNA
The post Concerned citizen petitions EC to hold by-election in Anyako Electoral Area appeared first on Ghana Business News.
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