Nkwanta South assembly elects presiding member

The Nkwanta South District Assembly in the Volta Region has elected an accountant, Mr Prince Succeed Fiagadzi, as its presiding Member.

This was after two unsuccessful attempts to elect one when the assembly was inaugurated on October 6, 2015.

On the first two occasions, none of the candidates, Mr Fiagadzi and Mr David Naboare secured the required percentage in the standing orders to win the election, and was therefore rescheduled for last Tuesday.

On that day, however, Mr Naboare withdrew from the race leaving Mr Fiagadzi as the sole candidate who polled 39 votes out of 42 to become the new presiding member.

In a post-election speech, the new presiding member declared a new beginning in the life of the district assembly, and assured members that a new leadership had emerged with a new vision and direction and called on all others to respond to the call to duty.

Consequences of delay

In an address, the Volta regional minister, Ms Helen Adjoa Ntoso aid the election of the presiding member had been belated making Nkwanta South the only district assembly in the region to have suffered such a delay with some negative consequences.

She, therefore, urged them to put members in working committees to formulate  the composite budget for the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development(MLGRG) to enable them to fill the gap that had been created due to the inability to elect a presiding member.

Denial of District Development Fund

She expressed regret that as an assembly, which had failed the Functional Organisational Assessment Tool (FOAT), and was denied a District Development Facility (DDF) the stalemate should not have occurred and advised that they should put personal interest aside and think about the welfare of the people as their  priority.

Potential of Nkwanta

Ms Ntoso said Nkwanta had the potential to become a great commercial hub after the construction of the Eastern Corridor road and so there was no time to waste to achieve that enviable status.

She said the assembly concept was a win-win situation and advised assembly members to brighten the corner where they found themselves. The Nkwanta South district magistrate,  Mr Baba Isahaku Iddi administered the oath of office to the new presiding member.