Compensate SALL residents for lost years in parliament-Tsatsu Tsikata

Lawyer Tsatsu Tsikata has argued that the people of Santrokofi, Akpafu, Likpe and Lolobi should be considered for reparations after being left without representation in Ghana’s 8th Parliament.

Speaking at an honorary lecture and awards ceremony at the University of Professional Studies, Accra on Wednesday, 15 April, he said the later creation of the Guan District and Guan Constituency does not, by itself, cure the wrong done to the affected communities.

His position is that the problem goes beyond the absence of a parliamentary seat. In his view, SALL communities were also denied the development benefits and political voice that ordinarily come with having a Member of Parliament.

Tsikata linked the situation to the aftermath of the creation of the Oti Region under Constitutional Instrument 112, which left the area without an MP after the 2020 elections.

For him, that was not a minor administrative gap but a serious injustice with real consequences for the people affected.

He said the fact that a constituency was later created should not be treated as a full answer to the harm suffered, because the communities had already lost years of representation and access to resources that might have flowed through parliamentary advocacy.

On that basis, he said the case for reparations is justified.

Tsikata also pointed to the role of the Electoral Commission, arguing that its decisions effectively prevented eligible voters in the area from taking part in the 2020 parliamentary process. He noted that the Commission itself had acknowledged that it would have been unlawful for voters in those communities to cast ballots in the Buem constituency.

According to him, that admission strengthens the argument that the exclusion of SALL voters was both real and indefensible.

He added that the legal battle over the matter is still alive, with affected residents continuing to seek redress through the courts.