KMA fails to elect PM at 9th attempt

The Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) has, for the ninth time, failed to elect a Presiding Member (PM) for the assembly.

Neither of the two candidates who stood for the election was able to get the required two-thirds majority needed to get the nod to become a PM.

While Abraham Boadi, the Assembly Member for the Ridge Nhyiaeso Electoral Area, the preferred candidate of the elected members, had 69 votes, his contender, Michael Adusei Bonsu of Asafo Dadiesoaba, the preferred choice of the government appointees, had 50 votes.

Yesterday’s stalemate forced the acting Chairman of the assembly, Michael Ataogye, who is the Coordinating Director, to call for a 30-minute break to allow for more consultation.

However, after two hours of consultation, the assembly failed to reach a compromise.

The meeting was consequently adjourned until further notice.

Disappointed

The Ashanti Regional Minister, Mr John Alexander Ackon, expressed his disappointment at the inability of the assembly to elect a PM.

He said the stakeholders had done much consultation and as such had hoped that the assembly would successfully elect a PM.

However, a different picture emerged, as the assembly, for the ninth time, failed to elect a PM.

Mr Ackon said the entrenched position taken by both sides was not helping matters and would make it difficult for a candidate to secure two-thirds of the votes of the assembly members.

Agitation

He said it was time the people compelled the assembly members to elect a PM to enable the assembly to function effectively.

Already, he said, there was a sense of agitation among the residents of Kumasi, who seemed to have lost interest in the activities of the assembly.

He said the enthusiasm showed by the residents by trooping to the election ground was no longer there "and this should send a signal to the assembly members that the people are fed up with them".

Loss

Mr Ackon said the assembly was losing huge sums of revenue, as it had not been able to fix its rates for the year.

He said although the assembly was functioning, it was unable to take certain decisions that could only be taken at assembly meetings, adding that none of its committees was working, as there was no assembly member on any of them.

Background

Since October 6, 2015, the assembly has failed to elect a PM. It has so far held six meetings and nine elections, all to no avail.

In the  earlier elections, the former PM, Nana Kofi Senya, an elected assembly member, and Baffuor Agyei Kesse IV, a government appointee, contested each other for the position seven times.

Neither of them was able to get the needed majority to be sworn in as PM.

On September 28, 2016, Baffuor Kesse stepped down for Nana Senya, who went unopposed and yet failed to get the required number.

He got more ‘no’ votes than ‘yes’.

The assembly thus called for new nominations that brought out the current contestants.