An Assembly Member at Asokwa is blaming the MCE of Asokwa for their inability to elect a Presiding Member as well as other challenges facing the Municipal Assembly.
Oscar Riches, Bismark Osei Tutu, Nana Yaw Wiredu and Dr. Kwabena Boadu are amongst those who have unsuccessfully taken a shot at the PM position in Asokwa after four rounds of elections.
In an audio, one of the aspirants; Oscar Riches also known as Hon. Ghana Beyeyie revealed how the MCE; Chief Akwannuasa Gyimah went round begging Members of the Assembly not to elect him as the Presiding Member since according to him, he is too difficult and that he cannot work with him.
He even accused the MCE of distributing up to two thousand Cedis per head to see his agenda through.
“He has vowed that I will never become Presiding Member in Asokwa simply because he placed an e-lottery kiosk in a poorly considered location and I raised issues with it” he recounted. He believes the agenda is not only against him but against all elected Assembly members in the Asokwa Municipality.
“If that is how things work, the MCE should not have been appointed knowing very well he cost Nana Addo the Presidency in 2008 by contesting as an independent candidate. Nana Addo held no grudges and went on to appoint him”.
He went on to detail how Chief Akwanuasa Gyimah has presided over a lot of partisanship within the Assembly. Oscar Riches accused the MCE of working hand-in-hand with the Coordinating Director who he said has sank neck deep in NPP politicking within Asokwa, to turn the Standing Orders of the Assembly upside down.
He urged colleague Assembly members to rise up and assert their roles in the interest of upholding the tenets of effective local governance.
Listen to the full audio:
Responding to the allegations, Special Assistant to the Municipal Chief Executive for Asokwa; Michael Ofosu-Afriyie stated emphatically that the MCE as a representative of the President rightly has an interest in getting the best suited person for the job. He however denied any financial inducements.
He explained that there was a meeting with the Assembly members at which the idea to field a government appointee who would be perceived as neutral and hence command the needed respect came up. He believes the idea which was upheld strongly by the MCE did not go down well with Oscar Riches and perhaps some other Assembly members and hence the resultant allegations.
He stressed that the work is sensitive and it is therefore important to get a Presiding Member who would command the respect of all and sundry.
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