General News of Tuesday, 10 May 2005

Source: GNA

Ministry contravenes Legislative Instrument - Chiefs

Accra, May 10, GNA - The chiefs and people of Adaklu on Tuesday said locating the capital of the newly created Adaklu-Anyigbe District at Agotime-Kpetoe instead of Adaklu-Waya was a contravention of Legislative Instrument (LI) 1741 of 2004 which stated where the capital should be.

A Local Government establishment instrument made available to the Ghana News Agency stated under the headline "Location of Principal Offices of Assembly" that "the Assembly shall establish its principal offices at Adaklu-Waya where meetings of the Assembly shall be held". The instrument signed by the then Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Mr Kwadwo Adjei Darko, also revoked the Local Government (Ho District Assembly) Establishment Instrument 1989, LI 1461.

Togbe Agbobada, a Divisional Chief of Adaklu Traditional Area, at a press conference in Accra appealed to President John Agyekum Kufuor to enforce LI 1741 on the location of the District Capital.

He said in the interest of rule of law, justice, history, geography and administrative convenience, Adaklu-Waya should be maintained as the District Capital.

The area of authority include Abuadi, Ablonu, Kpetoe, South Agotime, Bedzame, Takuve, Waya, Xelekpe, Afegame, Ziope and Keyime. The Volta Regional House of Chiefs through its Registrar A. K. Alhaba also recommended to the Government to implement LI 1741 for peace and order to prevail.

Togbe Agbobada said the Electoral Commission's recommendation for the creation of 28 new districts also named Adaklu-Waya as the District Capital.

Togbe Agbobada said the people were resolved not to participate in the assembly process if the capital was located at Agotime-Kpotoe.