Narrow escape for Awuku Amoah

Assembly Members at Atwima Nwabiagya in the Ashanti Region voted twice before they were able to endorse Mr Michael Awuku Amoah, the President's appointee, as District Chief Executive.

Fifty-four of the 55 assembly members (made up of 38 elected members and 17 government appointees) participated in the first round of voting supervised by the Atwima Nwabiagya District Director of Electoral Commission, Madam Fatima Kanton.

At the end of voting, the appointee failed to secure two-thirds majority to be confirmed when 35 voted YES, with 19 vehemently voting NO.

This forced the assembly to hold an indoor meeting with officials of the Electoral Commission of Ghana, possibly to prepare for a second round.

A few minutes later, the second round took off and this time 53 members took part, with 42 of them voting YES and 17 voting NO.

Had he not been endorsed, he would have been the second appointee to have been rejected by assembly members in the Ashanti Region.

Last Friday, the Asokore Mampong Municipal Assembly failed to endorse the President's appointee, Alhaji Alidu Seidu.

Immediately after the first voting, a group of angry sympathisers threatened to beat up the assembly members upon hearing that Mr Awuku Amoah was not endorsed, but were driven away by the police who provided security for the assembly members and state property.

Gratitude

Mr Awuku Amoah expressed gratitude to the assembly members for the endorsement and called for their support in the discharge of his duties..

Reaction from NDC

A National Democratic Congress (NDC) member who witnessed the election recalled that the assembly had rejected the President's appointees for years, which put the district at a great disadvantage.

He held onto the notion that under no circumstance should the endorsement of chief executives by assembly members be politicised.