Flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama, has once again slammed the judiciary over the lack of parliamentary representation for the people of Santrokofi, Akpafu, Lolobi, and Likpe (SALL), a situation that has persisted since 2020.
Mahama called this a glaring failure in upholding democratic principles, arguing that the people of SALL have been denied their right to be heard, with no parliamentary representative to champion their interests.
During a campaign visit to Akpafu, Mahama described the issue as the “cardinal sin” of Ghana’s Fourth Republic.
He emphasised that the judiciary must act fairly and consistently in addressing the lack of representation for SALL, warning that any form of inconsistency would undermine the justice system’s credibility.
“The justice system must be consistent if it is inconsistent, it is not fair to the people of this country, because you can’t treat people, one way. Four years they can be without a member of parliament, it doesn’t matter, their representation is not important to you Gyakye Quayson should be out of parliament for almost two years it doesn’t matter because the Assin North people are not your people, then it comes to NPP.
“The Speaker declares their seat vacant for one and a half months until we go to the election that one it is unheard of, their human rights are being affected I mean, what kind of justice system is this? We believe that an injustice was done to the people of SALL and as it is called the cardinal sin of the fourth republic and never again must this happen”.
He pointed to the case of Gyakye Quayson in Assin North, where the seat was declared vacant for over a month, as an example of how differently the system treats different constituencies.
“Four years without a representative for the people of SALL, while other constituencies are treated differently, is not acceptable,” Mahama said. “If the judiciary is inconsistent, it is not fair to the people of this country. This is an injustice that must not be repeated.”
He further stressed that all citizens of Ghana, including those from SALL, should be treated equally before the law.