Some Assembly members within the Ashaiman Municipal Assembly, have warned the New Patriotic Party that they will vote against any candidate that is imposed on them as Municipal Chief Executive (MCE).
According to them, Ashaiman is a cosmopolitan area, and that all qualified persons who meet the criteria should not be denied the opportunity to apply for the top job in the constituency.
The Assembly members made the comments after the swearing-in ceremony of some eight government-appointees to the Assembly.
The ceremony which almost ended in chaos over allegations of replacement of names by the NPP constituency executives, was suspended for some hours before proceedings continued.
A former Assembly Member for the Nii Man Electoral Area, Madam Harriet Naana, alleged that her name had been removed by the constituency chairman and some executives, and thus disrupted the programme by creating a scene at the Assembly hall.
She attempted snatching the appointment letter from one of the government appointees whom she believed had been made to take her place.
Although the programme continued after the issues were resolved, the former Assembly woman said “I am disappointed in the executives who have decided to impose some persons on the people of Ashaiman. My name was added to the list by Hajia Alima, but the chairman whom I suspect dislikes me, removed my name and replaced it with her favourite person,” she lamented.
Other Assembly members who spoke to Citi News said, they will equally vote against any candidate who is imposed on them by the regional executives of the NPP without their prior approval.
“Why would Ishmael Ashitey sit at the regional level and decide for us? We shall make sure we vote massively against whoever is brought as MCE who has not suffered with the party from the grassroots level”
Another Assembly member also alleged that, some regional executives are fighting their way to the municipality to lead them as MCE, and vowed that they will not allow that to happen.
“Why must we allow a regional executive to come and lead us in Ashaiman as MCE; while there are great competent candidates who have all the necessary credentials and have gone through the ranks here who can equally become MCE? ”
“Why should tribal card be played in the nomination of MCE when the people playing the tribal card were not around when we needed them most to champion the course of the party during the campaign period?
They appealed to the NPP national executives to ensure due diligence is done in the selection of the nominee for the MCE position, in order to avoid the party and the candidate suffering an embarrassment at the Assembly when an unpopular candidate is brought.
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(Via: CitiFM Online Ghana)
