The following article was first published on ghananewsonline

A group by name Association of Volta Youth (Ghana) in USA has petitioned the United Nations Secretary General, Mr. Antonio Guterres over attempts to divide the Volta Region.

The group is of the view that the intent to divide the Volta Region is on tribal lines and is explicitly against the 1992 Constitution as such the government must be stopped on its tracks before some unnecessary tribal misunderstanding raises its heard.

The said petition has been sent to key stakeholders including Amnesty International and all Member States of the United Nations.

The Full petition is published below:

ASSOCIATION OF VOLTA YOUTH (GHANA) IN U.S.A

1818 ANTHONY AVENUE, #3C

BRONX NY. 10457 U.S.A

UNITED NATIONS HEADQUARTERS,

405 EAST 42ND STREET,

NEW YORK, NY. 10017.

U.S.A.

JANUARY 12, 2018

Attn: UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres.

JUSTICE BROBBEY’S COMMISSION OF ENQUIRY INTO THE CREATION OF NEW REGIONS IS PREPARING THE GROUNDS FOR YET ANOTHER FRAUDULENT PLEBISCITE IN THE VOLTA REGION OF GHANA.

INTRODUCTION.

The Volta region of Ghana is part of mandated territory that became UN Trust Territory in 1946. The trust Territory was a sovereign State that lies between Togo at the East and Gold Coast (now Ghana) at the West. It share boarder with Burkina Faso at the North and Gulf of Guinea Sea at the South. It was entrusted in to the hands of Britain for nurturing to independence under international trusteeship Council.

Britain betrayed the confidence of the indigenes and broke international law by refusing to grant the land self-rule when the time came for Britain to do so. Britain joined forces together with the then to be first President of the Gold Coast, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah who was then the Prime Minister and leader of government business for the colony under Britain and have direct access to the Queen, mounted pressure on the United Nations to grant their request of having Gold Coast and West Togo to form a Union government against the will of the people of the West Togo.

It would be recalled, and indeed, records would show that Togoland Congress was formed as a mouth piece of West Togo to argue intensively against the Union.

The bright young academia, whose kind and match is yet to be found, Dr. Grail Ernest Raphael Armaatoe, led Togoland Congress to the United Nations in December 1953 and delivered an extraordinary speech that mesmerized the world. He argued intensively, with emphasis that West Togo is no one’s dominion and wish not to be anyone’s dominion. Under him Togoland Congress surmount and self-rule was no longer a history, rather at the door step of the people. Sadly enough, a pain that West Togolanders has been endowed with forever was the extermination of the beloved hero of the land, Dr. Grail Ernest Raphael Armaatoe, through poisoning barely two weeks after his UN speech. It was the saddest event that has left indelible marks on the heart of every West Togolander.

God has a way of restoring the down trodden and the broken hearted. The hope for self-Rule was uplifted again when Mr. George S. Antor, took the mantle of Togoland Congress and storm the UN in 1954 to continue from where Dr. Armaatoe left off. He was also elected to the National Assembly in Ghana and fought for the interest of the land but little did he know that the dance of the Millipede cannot suppress the Grasshopper.

The Hegemonic and preponderance agenda of Ghana must be achieved at all cost. So Dr. Kwame Nkrumah crave for the blood of Mr. George S. Antor. Another leader of Togoland Congress must not die for fighting for inalienable right of his land, S.G Antor thought to himself and finds a hidden home in Eastern Region of Ghana but Dr. Kwame Nkrumah smoked him out and have him locked up in Nkrumah’s detention Camp in Nsawam without trial or Charge. He died without due process and only Ghanaians can tell us how he died.

Mr. Antor’s death has weakened the front of the Togoland Congress and made the land once again vulnerable as self-determination begun to shrink.

Halleluyah chorus was sounded in Britain and Ghana as the two collaborators continue mounting pressure on UN who reluctantly granted the UNION’s request.

In determination of a union government, the most fraudulent, dehumanizing and unconstitutional referendum (plebiscite) was held on May 9, 1956 in West Togo under the supervision of the British Governor, Sir Charles Noble Arden Clarke. The Union was chosen but unfortunately for the collaborators and fortunately for West Togo, the Union was not established and the Memorandum of understanding as part of the UN condition for granting the Union’s request was also not time-honored. Then West Togo was illegally swallowed up by Ghana and disrespectfully reduced West Togo in to regions

STEALING OF WEST TOGO LAND BY GHANA.

The agitations against the union government was largely centered on the Volta region so after the illegal absorption of West Togo by Ghana, Volta region became enemy and was subjected to all kinds of illegal demarcations. Akosombo which was part of the Volta region was cut off and added to Eastern region. A place called Kome in the Volta region was cut off and renamed Kpong. Amedeka now Akuse, Agormenya were all cut off and added to the Western Region. As if the above were not enough, Tokpo, Asilevikope, Adakope, Kotoko, Volivo, Mafikope, Atabui, Volokome, Johnkpo, Agbekotsekpo, Abuvienu and other villages along the Volta river in the Volta region were all people of Battors, Volos and Dorfors who are supposed to be in Tongu district in the Volta region but had been cut off and added to the Greater Accra region of Ghana.

ONGOING OTI REGION.

The government of Ghana under Akufo-Addo is now embarking on a move to cut off parts of the Volta land to rename it Oti under the guise of creating a new region. He said he is exercising his powers under article 5 of the 1992 constitution which states that. “(1) Subject to the provisions of this article, the President may by constitutional instrument- (a) create a new region; (b) alter the boundaries of a region; or (c) provide for the merger of two or more regions.

(2)  If the President, upon petition being presented to him and, on the advice of the Council of State, is satisfied that there is substantial demand for- (a) the creation of a new region; (b) the alteration of the boundaries of a region, whether or not the alteration involves the creation of a new region; or (c) the merger of any two or more regions; he  shall, acting in accordance with the advice of the Council of State, appoint a commission of inquiry into the demand and to make recommendations on all the factors involved in the creation, alteration or merger”.

Groups, organizations, individuals and Chiefs of the land have kicked against the creation of a new region out of the Volta region because it is ethnic region and the constitution does not allowed that.

We the Association of Volta Youth (Ghana) in U.S.A have argued that, there is no substantial demand for the creation of Oti-region as stated by the constitution. Rather, there are substantial and increasing demands for not creating Oti-region. We are of the view that if government of Ghana deems Volta region as part of Ghana, then, dividing it will have to trigger Article 4 of 1992 constitution of Ghana which is entrench, on quote. (1) The sovereign State of Ghana is a unitary republic consisting of those territories comprised in the regions which immediately before the coming into force of this constitution, existed in Ghana, including the territorial sea and the air space. (2) Parliaments may by law provide for the delimitation of the territorial sea, the contiguous zone, the exclusive economic Zone and continental shelf of Ghana.

WHY THE UN AND OTHER INTERNATIONAL BODIES MUST INTERVENE.

Despite the government paying death ears to the prudent call to stop creating a new region, the commission of Inquiry into the Creation of New Regions established by President, Nana Akufo-Addo, led by Justice Brobbey has issued a Press statement informing the general public that it will hold its public hearing on the creation of Oti-region in the Volta region from the 16th  to 20th of January 2018 at the following Venues and date.

Venue                                                              Date                                       Time.

University, Ho Dr. Afeti Auditorium,              16th Jan. 2018                         10 am

Ho Technical. (South Volta).

Kete-Krachi Senior High School,                   17th Jan. 2018                           10 am

Kete-Krachi (Oti enclave)

Nkwanta South Municipal Assembly Hall,     18th Jan. 2018                           10 am

Nkwanta. (Oti enclave)

Kpassa Senior High Sec.Tech School              19th Jan. 2018                         10 am

Hall, Kpassa. (Oti enclave)

Nsuta Catholic formation Center,                    20th Jan. 2018                          10 am

Jasikan. (Oti enclave)

The Commission has given the Oti enclave, where they wanted to cut off from the Volta Region Four slots (4 hearing days) and only one day allocated to those outside the Oti enclave.

We have considered this as unfair and undemocratic with regards to the expression of the views of the people.

Volta region is divided into zones and if the zones will not be considered, then, allocation of hearing days should be evenly distributed throughout the region in the locations such as North, South, East, West and central.

The announced Allocation of hearing days is bias and will lead to bias reportage and should a referendum be held, it will be fraudulent.

It is against this backdrop that we appeal to the UN Secretary-General and all organs of the UN, member States and other international agencies to exert their influence and call Ghana to order accordingly in order to avoid any conflict of interest situation that may happen due to the absence of due process and constitutional instruments.

Thank You.

Duly signed:

Victor Mifetu

(President)

001 703 401 6324

Michael K. Agbozalu.

(Vice President)

001 347 607 2847

Seth Mifetu

(General Secretary)

001 347 772 5325.

Cc:

UN Security Council,

UN Decolonization,

UNPO.

All UN Member States,

Amnesty International,

International Criminal Court of Justice