According to the group, the chief is trying to use the “back door” to have his area captured in the new region which is to be named Oti Region when approved.

[contextly_sidebar id=”hNbOWIqoIKVbSABx8MZtHiRFOQxbcsie”]“We wish to posit without any equivocation that, the Gbi’s together with Togbega have absolute right to evoke article 5 of the Constitution of Ghana to be granted a region, but not do so through the back door using semantics and non-existent powers to himself in his quest to satisfy an interest,” a statement signed by convener of the group, Enoch Kwadzodeh Lelabi said.

Don’t split Hohoe municipality for new region

Togbega Gabusu VI had last week asked that the move to create a new region out of the existing Volta Region shouldn’t affect the current boundaries of the Hohoe Municipality.

In a Citi News interview, he supported the new region, but said his subjects would be better served by being part of one jurisdiction rather than being divided, hence his advise that the new demarcations and realignments should not distort the Municipality.

“We the Gbis and for that matter, those from the Hohoe municipality, almost all of us here accepted for the region to be split into two, but nothing should be done about taking part of the Hohoe municipality to be added to the proposed region, ” he said.

The Hohoe Municipality consists of nine traditional areas with Togbega Gabusu VI presiding over the Gbi State.

There are indications that four traditional areas including Lolobi, Santrokofi, Likpe and Akpafu, who are mostly Guans, wish to join the proposed new region, and have petitioned the Commission of Enquiry receiving proposals for the region to be split, to that effect.

But Togbega Gabusu had lamented that attempts to take any of the traditional areas from the jurisdiction might not inure to the benefit and the development of the Hohoe Municipality.

The Divisional Chief of Gbi Abansi, Togbe Adzima V, also argued that dividing part of Hohoe would collapse the relevance of the municipality.

We are not your subjects

But the Student Movement of SALL in the statement described Gabusu’s claims as misleading and flawed.

“First of all, Togbega Gabusu’s claims that, the move to create a new region out of the existing Volta Region shouldn’t affect the current boundaries of his traditional area is flawed and without basis,” the group said.

The group argues that, the current petition before the Commission of Enquiry for the proposed Oti Region “does not include any of the current boundaries of Gbi Traditional area, but rather the natural and already existing boundaries of the Buem-Krachi district, with Nkonya to the West-Santrokofi-Lolobi in the middle, Likpe and Trans-Volta Togo ranges to the East. There is therefore absolutely no basis in the claims he made.”

On claims by Divisional Chief of Gbi Abansi, Togbe Adzima V that dividing the municipality would collapse the relevance of the municipality, the group said “this in our view is an indictment on the rest of the remaining five traditional areas, and reaffirms our position that we have been cheated for long in terms of development even though we contribute the most to the local economy of Hohoe.”

The youth group further warned that they will resist any attempt by Togbega Gabasu to “assume jurisdiction over us.”

“We offer unsolicited advice to the Gbi traditional council to whip themselves to order and do the honourable thing by following due process because we shall resist any attempt by anybody to re-write history or distort facts or assume jurisdiction over us with all our might using legal means available,” the statement added.

N/Region towns request to join yet-to-be created Volta North Region

In a related development, the people of Nchumuru and Nawuri in the Kpandai District of the Northern Region, have appealed to the Commission overseeing the creation of the proposed new region to be carved out of the current Volta Region, to allow them to join the yet-to-be created region.

Speaking at a public forum held in Kete Krachie on January 20, 2018 to seek public views on the proposal for a new region to be carved out of the existing Volta Region, David Yaw Chipa, the Vice President of the Nchumuru Youth Association, said it is their desire to leave the current Northern Region to join the proposed new region in order that development can be accelerated in the area.

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By: Godwin Akweiteh Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @AlloteyGodwin

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