President will not withdraw rejected nominees — Minister
The President is not ready to withdraw the appointment of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives ( MMDCEs) rejected by members of their assemblies for new ones.
Advertisement
"If you reject the President's nominee for the position of MMDCEs 20 times, they would be presented 20 times for you to vote again to confirm them because the law says the President can bring those rejected".
The Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Mr Paul Evans Aidoo, who made this statement, therefore, appealed to assembly members who had taken entrenched positions to change their stance and confirm the President’s nominees for their respective assemblies to move on.
Mr Aidoo was speaking at the swearing-in of the first batch of Municipal and District Chief Executives (MDCEs) confirmed by their respective assemblies in the region at a ceremony in Sunyani on Tuesday.
They are Mr Kwasi Oppong Ababio, the re -nominated Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Sunyani, Madam Stella Amoatemaa, newly elected MCE for Nkoranza South, Mr Kwadwo Agyei Dwomo, re-nominated District Chief Executive (DCE) for Nkoranza North, Eric Addae, re-nominated DCE for Asutifi North, Mr Emmanuel Opoku Kwame, newly elected DCE for Pru, and Mr Francis Kofi Baah, newly elected DCE for Sene East.
They swore the oath of office, allegiance and secrecy administered to them by the Regional Minister, Mr Aidoo, which was witnessed by the spouses, family members, supporters of the appointees and some chiefs.
Mr Aidoo noted that the stance by some assembly members not to confirm the President's nominees for the positions of MMDCEs had brought activities of some of the assemblies to a standstill.
He said the assemblies were there for the development of the districts, and therefore assembly members must look at that and confirm the President’s nominees for the districts to move on.
Mr Aidoo stated that some assembly members had forgotten that they had just one year in office to go for re-election in the district assembly elections next year.
He added that assembly members who had refused to confirm the nominees should realise that it would go against them as they could not get projects to their electoral areas. This will be so because activities at the assemblies would stall in the absence of a substantive DCE.
Turning to the MDCEs, Mr Aidoo urged them to eschew ostentatious lifestyles and also resist all pressures that would be brought to bear on them by their close relations to dip their hands into public coffers.
He urged them to pay regular visits to communities within their respective areas of jurisdiction to interact with the people and traditional authorities to know their problems at first hand.
Mr Aidoo also called on those who vied for the position of MMDCEs and could not get it to rally behind those who emerged successful so as to move their respective districts forward.
The MCE for Sunyani, Mr Ababio, who spoke on behalf of his colleagues, expressed their gratitude to the President for nominating them to serve the people and also thanked the assembly members, chiefs and all for the confidence they had reposed in them.
He pledged that they would work hard to bring to fruition the President's vision for a better Ghana for all.
By Samuel Duodu/Daily Graphic/Ghana