Enforce High Court Judgment To Change District Name – Lambussie Youth Petition Government

The Youth of the Lambussie Traditional Area in the Upper West Region has written a petition to government to obey the law by complying with a High Court ruling to change district's name to Lambussie District.

According to the youth, there is an illegal identity given to the district on the day of its inaugration in February 2008 as Lambussie-Karni District instead of Lambussie District as captured in the Legislative Istrument(L.I 1849) establishing the district. Following this development, several calls were made by the the people of the area to subtitute the unconventional name with the legally accepted name which proved futile.

However, a patriotic citizen of the area whose name was given as Bamie Issah Nala took the issue to the Accra High Court seeking a declaration as per the existing law (L.I 1849) of the Lambussie Assembly as LAMBUSSIE DISTRICT ASSEMBLY which must be recognised both in law and practice among other reliefs.

This relief was granted by the Accra High Court on the 18th of March 2016 presided over by Her Ladyship Justice Novisi Afua Aryene (Mrs.) stating that the official name of the District Assembly is Lambussie District Assembly as per the L.I. 1849, indicating that it is unlawful and illegal to call the district by any other name and therefore ordered the defendants( Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, Attorney General's Department and the Electoral Commission) to effect the necessary changes within 21 days of the ruling.

The Youth of the area are therefore, by this petition appealing to the "government not to compromise with the law but allow the law that established the Lambussie District to work."

They reiterarated " This Judgement further buttresses the point that we can rely on the laws of Ghana to seek Justice. Our humble appeal to the government and all stakeholders is that we should obey the law and enforce the High Court judgement to revert to the original name of the district in the statue books of the country to attract the necessary recognition of the area as such."

Not withstanding the irregularities regarding the name of the district, the youth noted the government's commitment to developing the area citing the provision of a Community Senior High School and other infrastructural development as an example. This, in their view is part of government's efforts to improve education and also improve the health needs of the people in the area.

They however warned that 'nobody should create any erroneous impression that the judgement would create an undesired situation in the district' and went on to assure that the district is as united as before and would continue to be so, towards the common goal of seeking for national peace and development.

The petition further indicated that 'their action has no political, tribal or ethnic influence and therefore no individual or group should attempt to exploit the judgement to further their own agender', it said. It added that " the action to correct that error was taken with no malice and no individual or group should feel targeted for marginalization or any form of neglect."

The petition which was read on behalf of the president of the Lambussie Traditional Area Youth Association), Mohammed Ibrahim Sullo, by a member of the youth group, Hilleh Kwao Nicholas pledged total support and cooperation with all institutions to bring the needed development to the district.

The petition was later presented to an Assistant Coordinating Director the Lambussie District Assembly for onward submission to the president of the Republic of Ghana.

Brief History of the Lambussie District
The PNDC administration embarked on a massive decentralization policy in order to enhance grassroot participation in the governance of the country and national development. This necessitated the creation of a new district in 1988 out of the then Lawra District, called Jirapa/Lambussie District Assembly with its capital as Jirapa.

By 1992 where Ghana was driving towards a democratic state, Lambussie was created as a constituency with the Jirapa Constituency in the Jirapa/Lambussie District.

In pursuance of the PNDC's decentralization policy and following several petitions by various stakeholders in Lambussie and its environs for a separated district, the Kuffuor-led NPP administration carved out the Lambussie District from the Jirapa/Lambussie District in 2007.

   Comments0