Osei Assibey withdraws from KMA Mayor race
The race for the Metropolitan Chief Executive (KMA) position for Kumasi has been cut to three following the withdrawal of the incumbent, Mr Osei Assibey Antwi.
Mr Antwi, who has been on the seat for four years and was seen as a frontrunner in the contest, tendered in his withdrawal letter at the final round of vetting at the Jubilee House in Accra last Thursday.
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"Yes, I have withdrawn for personal reasons," he told Graphic Online last Saturday.
Contestants
With the exit of the incumbent, the contestants left in the race are the Ashanti Regional Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr Sam Pyne, the Kumasi Metro Roads Director, Nana Attah Poku and the former Member of Parliament for Nhyiaeso, Mr Kennedy Kankam.
Kejetia traders shocked
Meanwhile, the Combined Kejetia Traders Association has expressed shock over the withdrawal of Mr Antwi from the Chief Executive race.
In a statement dated July 1,2021,the association said it believed that Mr Antwi "was the right man to push forward President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo's agenda in the Kumasi Metropolis as Chief Executive."
Jointly signed by the association's President, Nana Prempeh, and the Operations Manager, Mr Kwabena Fosu, the statement praised Mr Antwi for working so hard in his tenure.
"It is an undeniable fact and public knowledge that Mr Osei Assibey Antwi is one of the most hardworking mayors Kumasi has seen in the last few years," it said.
Race Course market
The statement said as part of plans to properly relocate traders from the Kumasi Central Market to pave way for the reconstruction of Phase Two of the Kejetia Market,Mr Antwi was able to prepare for all the affected traders in the city.
The association said the KMA, led by Mr Antwi, worked tirelessly to develop a portion of the spacious Race Course in Kumasi into a market to accommodate about 9,000 affected traders.
Legacy
The statement said Mr Antwi would be leaving behind a good legacy.
"We, however, call on President Akufo-Addo to consider making him an integral member of your second term in any post he may deem fit as he has proven to be a tried and tested leader who can help the President in the implementation of his development agenda," the association said.