Sam Pyne
PRESIDENT Akufo-Addo has passionately appealed to assembly members in the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) to confirm Sam Pyne, his nominee for the Kumasi Mayor position, to be conducted today.
The President stated emphatically that Sam Pyne is knowledgeable, competent and suitable to lead the KMA and therefore the need for him to be confirmed.
According to President Akufo-Addo, he selected the Ashanti Regional NPP Secretary because he realised that Sam Pyne was the favourite of Kumasi residents to occupy the enviable position, so the assemblymen should do well to confirm him.
“I will appeal to you to confirm my nominee, Sam Pyne, because he has the capacity to do the work,” the President he said during an interview with Kwame Adinkra of Pure FM in Kumasi on his last day of his Ashanti Regional tour.
President Akufo-Addo said “he is popular and people’s favourite for the position. Wherever I have been to in Kumasi, people have been praising me for appointing Sam Pyne.”
Debt Saga
About reports that the assemblymen have threatened to reject Sam Pyne due to a huge KMA debt, which has been an albatross on the neck of the assembly for years, the President said Sam Pyne should not be punished unjustifiably.
According to him, Sam Pyne was not the person that incurred the huge debt, therefore, it would be unfair for the assemblymen to use the debt as an excuse not to confirm him.
Govt Intervention
President Akufo-Addo said he has now been briefed about the KMA debt, so he has instructed the Local Government Minister to investigate to determine whether the debt was genuine before a decision could be taken on it.
“Since we came into power, there have been several instances where they quoted huge debts in some ministries like Energy, but after thorough investigations, we realised that those so-called debts were not in existence.
“I will, once again, therefore appeal to the assemblymen to confirm Sam Pyne and if afterwards the debt is proven to be genuine, then they (assemblymen) should task him to make the servicing of the debt his first agenda in office,” he added.
FROM I.F. Joe Awuah Jnr., Kumasi