Mistake-ridden CI 78 risk being withdrawn - Osei Prempeh

Hon Kwame Osei Prempeh

The newly laid Constitutional Instrument (CI) 78 is in danger of being thrown out of Parliament, the Chairman of the Subsidiary Legislation Committee of Parliament working on the document has hinted. 

Hon Kwame Osei Prempeh said a careful scrutiny of the document shows it is replete with mistakes and serious omissions. 

Two earlier CIs seeking to give legal backing to create 45 new constituencies in Ghana were withdrawn from the House after it was discovered that they were sated with mistakes and omissions. 

The Nsuta Kwamang Beposo MP opined that the way forward is for the new document to be withdrawn. 

He said: 'I have looked at it but still it has challenges. There are some mistakes in it, some electoral areas are still missing from it and I find this a little bit disturbing. CI 73 was withdrawn due to the mistakes in it and now the mistakes are still there.'

According him, some members have also complained about the mistakes in the document because 'this CI is based on LI 1983. The original one which was laid in the House and corrected was knocked out so what stands now is the LI 1983 and if we use that now, there are 166 Assembly men who are not Assembly men in this country by law. This means there are 166 electoral areas which will be left out in the CI 78.'

Mr. Prempeh mentioned that the committee will submit its report to Parliament based on the mistakes it encountered in the document, 'but the final decision lies on the House but if we are being fair to ourselves, it means that the same way the CI 73 was withdrawn because of the mistakes, this one may have to go otherwise it will create problems.'