The Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) will today [Tuesday] hold elections to elect a presiding member after nine failed attempts.
The Assembly has been without a Metropolitan Chief Executive and Presiding Member for several months and efforts to elect a new one have on several occasions ended in a deadlock.
According to Citi News’ Lauretta Timah, residents in the area are worried about the assembly’s failure to elect a presding member on several occasions. They described their current leaders as selfish, adding that the situation is hindering development in the area.
“We don’t have a presiding member , all they do is fight so how then do they choose a presiding member if they keep fighting? ,” a resident lamented. “Who will bring developmental projects here?
They should make sure they elect a presiding member today because what is happening here is bad,” another resident said. The eighth attempt by the KMA to vote for a presiding member a few weeks ago was marred by violence as some assembly members traded blows.
An Assembly member of KMA, Abdullah Muaza, traded blows with a National Democratic Congress (NDC) serial caller during proceedings.
Another election was expected to be held on Friday but was postponed because there was no Judge in Kumasi to swear the Presiding Member into office after the elections.
Presiding Member hurdle hurting KMA’s image – Samuel Sarpong Former Chief Executive Officer of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA), Samuel Sarpong, had earlier appealed to assembly members to bury their political and parochial interests and elect a Presiding Member come Tuesday October 4.
According to him, the constant failure to elect a Presiding Member is impeding development in the metropolis, especially when there’s no substantive MCE for the assembly.
Speaking on Kumasi-based Radio Ghana, the former Ashanti Regional Minister, said the violence that has characterized the election of a Presiding Member in recent times is giving the assembly a bad image across the country. “What is happening in KMA is very sad…I think Kumasi is getting a bad name so far as some of these issues are concerned,” he said.
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