By
Dominic Andonye, GNA
Wa, Nov. 14, GNA –
Alhaji Issahaku Tahiru Moomin, the Wa Municipal Chief Executive, has appealed
to voters in the Municipality to vote “Yes” in the upcoming
referendum to enable people contest elections at the local level on partisan
basis.
He made the appeal
at a public forum organized by the Assembly in collaboration with the National
Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) and the Information Service Department in
Wa.
The event was held
under the theme: “Issues Relating to 2019 Referendum”.
Alhaji Isshaku said
the benefits of voting yes in the December referendum outweighs the
disadvantages and entreated residents to vote ‘yes’ so that government can
realize its goal of amending Article 55 Clause 3 of the 1992 Constitution to
allow people to contest for Assembly and Unit Committee elections on party
tickets.
He said government
has already tasked Parliament to amend Article 55 Clause 3 of the 1992
Constitution to allow election of MMDCEs and that if people vote yes in the
referendum it will offer the opportunity for the assembly and unit committee elections
to be politicized.
He said the process
would also allow the election of MMDCEs on partisan lines, which meant that the
power for one to become a district chief executive will be vested in the hands
of the people but not the President as it is in this current dispensation.
“People are
mis-informed about the upcoming referendum that the purpose is to afford us the
opportunity to elect MMDCEs, which is
not the case, the amendment of Article 55 Clause 3 of the 1992 Constitution has
nothing to do with the referendum if we vote ‘YES’ or ‘NO’ but the referendum
is to allow us as citizens to decide whether we want our assembly election to
be based on partisan lines or not”, he said.
Participants raised
concerns about low publicity of the referendum and called on the NCCE and other
stake holders to organize more of such forums across communities within the Wa
municipality to educate them on the December 17 referendum.
The programme was
attended by chiefs, religious bodies, youth groups, political parties, market
women, transport unions, civil society organisations and other identifiable
groups within the Wa Municipality.
GNA
