Dr. Ishmael Norman, the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Institute for Security, Disaster, and Emergency Studies, has said there is very little likelihood that President Akufo-Addo will declare a state of emergency in response to the flood disaster caused by the spillage of the Akosombo Dam.
While Dr. Norman supports the idea of the President declaring a state of emergency, he expressed his belief that President Akufo-Addo is unlikely to take that route, not even to declare a regional state of emergency.
In an interview with TV3, he explained that Akufo-Addo's history shows that he did not use the Emergency Powers Act of 1994 (Act 471) or Article 31 of the 1992 Constitution even during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr. Norman elaborated, saying, "The reason why he wouldn’t declare a state of emergency, not even a regional state of emergency, is because it entails a lot. You remember that he used Executive Instrument 61 when it started and then 10 (12) of 2020 to declare a health emergency, not even a state of emergency but a health emergency, meaning other considerations were not important even though the COVID situation was a massive disruption to activities everywhere."
"In this situation with spillage and flooding, he is not going to declare a state of emergency, not even a regional state of emergency. He will come out with an Executive Instrument that will allow him to perform without reporting to Parliament because the modalities for the state of emergency are very technical, and our President doesn’t like to control by the laws too much," he continued.
Dr. Norman emphasized that if the government is dedicated to solving the problem, the wisest approach would be to declare a regional state of emergency, considering the limited scope of the crisis.
He noted that the spillage and subsequent flooding had not yet reached a national scale, affecting perhaps 9 to 12 districts.
To declare a regional state of emergency, the President would need to report to Parliament and follow the prescribed modalities under Article 31.
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