Stephen Kwesi Acquah, National Convener of COASUC-Ghana, flanked by executives of the group while addressing the media
The Conveners of Assemblies Sub-Committees (COASUC-Ghana) are pleading with the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) in the Ashanti Region to lift the suspension slapped on their colleague who allegedly assaulted the deputy director of the assembly.
According to the group made of assembly members who are serving on various sub-committees across the country who seek the welfare of all conveners, the one year suspension meted out to the assembly member of Asokwa Newtown Electoral Area, Oscar Riches, is too harsh and needs to be reconsidered.
Although they condemned the act perpetrated by their colleague, they believe that it will be better if the KMA allows the law court to deal with the matter without the assembly pre-empting the verdict of the case by suspending the assembly member.
They, therefore, appealed to the Minister of Local Government & Rural Development, Hajia Alima Mahama, to quickly intervene in the case of assault reported by the Deputy Director, Mr Kaleem Abdullah Adam, against the assembly member for peaceful co-existence and development of assemblies in the country.
According to a copy of the suspension letter in possession of DAILY GUIDE, on Wednesday, November 22, 2017 at the meeting of the Finance & Administration Sub-Committee of KMA held at the conference room of the assembly, Mr Adam was said to have been invited by the convener, Nana Kofi Senya, to give explanation as to why he wrote a letter to the sub-metro, addressing it to the administrators instead of the chairpersons.
Mr Adam was said to have indicated he was not in the position to explain because it was the metro chief executive or metro co-ordinating director who could explain since the directive came from the metro co-ordinating director.
In the process, the convener of the sub-committee started raining insults on him and ordered him to step out of the meeting.
It was reported that when Mr Adam protested against the embarrassment he was being put through by the convener, verbal exchanges ensued between them which later generated into serious action, where Oscar Riches jumped into the exchange of words and punched the left eye of Mr Adam, leaving him with shattered spectacles and a cut on his left cheek.
Consequently, the assembly at its special meeting held on December 28, 2017 concluded after adopting the Public Relations & Complaint Committee (PRCCs) recommendation that Mr Riches misconducted himself as an assembly member and, therefore, suspended him from duty and all activities of KMA for a period of one year with immediate effect.
From Vincent Kubi, Tema