NDC Lose Aflao Votes

Information Reaching Daily Guide from the Ketu South district of the Volta region indicates the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) is on the verge of losing Aflao votes in the December elections. Apparently the chiefs and people of Aflao Traditional Area have resolved that if their plea for municipality status is not granted, the current administration should forget about getting their votes. This was confirmed in a letter addressed to the President last week intercepted by the paper. The letter embossed with the Aflao state emblem dated June 28, 2012 said among other things that ��.and in order to foil the plans of our detractors and to ensure the creation of Aflao municipality and nothing else, we do hereby firmly resolve�that the direction of voting by the people of Aflao in the next general elections will be determined by the creation of the Aflao municipality.� The letter was signed by the Paramount Chief of Aflao Traditional Area, Togbui Agzonugaga Amenya Fiti V. Titled �Re: Inauguration of Ketu South Municipality,� it was a byproduct of an emergency meeting held on June 28, 2012 by the chiefs of Aflao Traditional Council, Council of Elders, assembly members and the Aflao Youth Association. The meeting was against the creation and inauguration of the Ketu South municipality despite persistent appeals that Ketu South should be divided into two � Aflao municipality and Ketu South district. The letter stated that since government has decided to thwart the plea of the people of Aflao for a separate municipality, they still stood by their resolution dated Saturday March 17, 2012. The resolution noted that although the people of Aflao appreciated the efforts made to create the Aflao municipality, the efforts were not good enough. More so the request is not only a legitimate claim, but lawful and that anything short of that amounts to discrimination against the Aflao people. It further cautioned individuals alleged to have �anti-Aflao intentions� that were propagating a non-existent boundary disputes between Aflao and its neighbors in order to prevent the creation of the Aflao Municipal Assembly to desist from the act. It said the chiefs and people of Aflao will fully cooperate with and support government in all matters towards the creation of Aflao municipality but will not cooperate with, support or participate in the creation of the proposed Ketu South municipality. The resolution noted they would however �fully participate in the forthcoming biometric registration of voters in order to effectively vote in the next general elections� but their voting pattern will be determined by the creation of the Aflao municipality. The letter cautioned that all chiefs and assembly members from Aflao traditional area were not to attend the inauguration of the Ketu South Municipal Assembly and all its associated functions. This will be about the sixth protest from the Aflao people against the ruling NDC over their demands for a separate municipality. Aflao municipality was among the initial list of districts to be created but was later taken out. Ketu South DCE, Bernard Amable, Deputy Local government Minister, Elvis Afriyie Ankrah and President Mills have explained it is impossible for Aflao to get a district now. This has however not gone down well with the Aflao people who are demanding a concrete explanation for their removal as they believe Aflao has all the requirements that satisfy their demand.