THE President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, yesterday named 212 persons to fill the vacant positions of Chief Executives in the various metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDCEs) across the country.
The president’s announcement of the MMDCEs brings to an end the jostling by some leading members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for their preferred candidates.
Announcing the names in Accra yesterday, Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, Hajia Alima Mahama, said the President may no longer appoint MMDCEs in the future but will rather ensure they are elected.
The minister also called for calm among party members and support for the nominees.
The President had earlier appointed the chief executives for four metropolitan assemblies in the country namely—Accra Metropolitan Assembly, Tamale Metropolitan Assembly, Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly and Sekondi/Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly.
Before the announcement, there had been series of agitations in parts of the country over the appointment of MMDCEs.
Angry NPP supporters in areas including Bawku West constituency in the Zebilla District of the Upper East Region last Tuesday were infuriated at the alleged appointment of one Victoria Ayamba as the District Chief Executive for the area.
According to the agitated party supporters, Patrick Ayamba, an Assembly Member for Teshie, a suburb of Zebilla, who is also a businessman, was their best bet for the job and would resist any other appointment by President Akufo-Addo.
At Elubo in the Jomoro constituency of the Western Region, some youth of the area were on the heels of the MP, claiming he had deceived them after promising to ensure that their preferred candidate got nominated.
But the MP, Paul Essien, denied making such a promise.
According to him, the allegation was coming from just a few guys who were trying to throw something in the air.
“…and if there was evidence of a letter I had written against honourable Moses, they should produce it. I am not sure these things are real things. It is like people are just guessing,” he said this yesterday.
At Mpohor District of the Western Region, irate NPP supporters yesterday cautioned the leadership of the party in the region and President Akufo-Addo not to name any other person as District Chief Executive aside from the former Constituency Chairman, George Bernard Eshun.
The supporters claimed the appointment of Ignatius Assah Mensah for the position defeats ethnic equality.
One protester, who claimed to be an executive of the party in the constituency, said “all the top constituency executives are from Fiase, the current chairman and many top members are all from the tribe of the Member of Parliament, Alex Agyekum. Why will they attempt to disqualify the only nominee from Mpohor?”
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