Dr. Archibald Letsa, Volta Regional Minister
DAILY GUIDE’s reports about uneasy calm surrounding the nominees of the president for the position of Municipal and District Chief Executives (MDCEs) in the Volta Region have been vindicated.
As many as 10 of President Akufo-Addo’s 25 nominees for the position of MDCEs in the Volta Region have been rejected by their various district assemblies.
Out of the number, seven of the nominees have been rejected outright as they could not garner the 50 percent of the votes that guarantee them a second chance, while three could sail through if their respective assembly members give them the nod for the second time asking.
The casualty list comprises of seven male nominees and three females; meaning that none of the president’s female nominees for MDCE positions in the region managed to gather enough votes to secure their position.
Lack of Lobbying and other Causes
DAILY GUIDE’s independent assessment of the situation has proven that inadequate lobbying and consultation, among other reasons, were the causes of the 10 rejections.
Some council members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the region who wanted their names to be kept confidential revealed that the level of consultation right from the national level to the constituency was problematic.
They were also worried about the wanton rush for positions by party members and executives in the region instead of organising the grassroots. They were unhappy that most of the nominees were being suggested by people who were closer to the powers that be and not the people at the grassroots.
That, notwithstanding, they were sure that since the majority of assembly members in the region were sympathetic to the opposition NDC; adequate consultation and lobbying by both leadership and nominees at the various districts and constituencies would have turned things around.
They were also worried that most of the nominees also took the process for granted and assumed that since they had been nominated, the assembly members were definitely going to approve them.
Details of the Rejections
The MCE nominee for Kpando, Elvis Djampoh Kpando, could only garner 15 ‘Yes’ votes as against 13 ‘No’ votes, while his Hohoe counterpart, Mr Andrews Teddy Ofori after two rounds of voting could not garner the two-thirds of the total votes cast.
He obtained 24 ‘Yes’ votes against 20 ‘No’ votes in the first round of voting and could only add three more ‘Yes’ votes in the second round of voting which was, however, not declared because of allegations that one of the ‘Yes’ votes had been added to the ‘No’ votes.
This means the two nominees still have a chance of being approved per the local government laws.
The South Tongu nominee, Emmanuel Louis Agamah, could only manage 28 ‘Yes’ votes against 30 ‘No’ votes, while the North Tongu nominee, Collins Arku, got 19 ‘Yes’ votes as against 21 ‘No’ votes.
The president’s nominees for the Akatsi North and Akatsi South also fell short of the 50 percent life line votes.
The Akatsi North nominee, Prince Sodoke Amuzu, could only garner eight ‘Yes’ votes as against nine ‘No’ votes, while the Akatsi South nominee, Mr Leonelson Adzidogah, had 18 ‘Yes’ votes against 21 ‘No’ votes.
The Agortime Ziope nominee, David Dickson Dzokpe, together with the Kpando and Hohoe nominees still have a second chance after he managed to obtain 12 ‘Yes’ votes against 10 ‘No’ votes.
Meanwhile, 15 of the president’s nominees have been approved by their various assemblies, with about seven receiving unanimous approvals from their assembly members.
By Fred Duodu, Ho (freduoo@gmail.com)