…As Ningo Prampram Begs For Retention Of DCE, Ashaiman Begs For Replacement
The race for the Position of the District, Municipal and Metropolitan Assembly Chief Executive position is on with over one thousand applicants nationwide having applied to occupy the position as MMDCE’S across the country.
So far, the said number has been shot down to allow for the shortlisted candidates to go for their final vetting ahead of the grand announcement in the coming days.
In the Ningo Prampram District for instance some chiefs and elders of the two traditional areas are routing for the incumbent DCE to be retained.
The incumbent DCE, Jonathan Paa Nii Doku who is described as a development oriented and approachable Chief Executive is believed to have brought quite a lot of development into the area.
The Ningo Prampram District was created in the year 2012. It was carved out of the Dangme West District. The district has two traditional areas under it’s jurisdiction, Ningo Traditional Council and the Prampram Traditional Council.
Since it’s establishment, the nine year old Assembly has had three different DCE’s.
Nine candidates had earlier put themselves up for consideration for the position of the District Chief Executive including some women.
But according to the town folks within the two traditional areas, they believe that the bid should be given to the incumbent due to his outstanding human relations and developmental achievement over his short stay in office.
Gladys Korleki, a native of Prampram mentioned that” I think this is the first time we’ve had a Chief Executive who carries out development within the community without having to be bias in choosing where to site the project despite the rivalry between the two traditional areas. I think he is a peacemaker who is dearly loved by all and sundry so I think he should be given the chance to lead us for the second time.”
Information picked indicates that the two Traditional areas have unanimously thrown their unflinching support behind the incumbent DCE as he seeks to apply to be given a second term of office.
An Executive Member of the NPP also mentioned in an interview that ” nine people have applied but as we speak, the number has been shortlisted to four and among the lot, we the executives believe that the incumbent DCE should be considered for the position because he has really done a lot for this constituency”.
He went ahead to say that ” this is the first time that, out of the entire 16 constituency executives, 12 of us have endorsed a candidate to be considered as DCE; this means the man is working and aside that has a good working relationship with the party”.
Although the 2020 failed Parliament candidate of the NPP Alex Martey and some other names have popped up, the locals believe the DCE deserves a second term to enable him continue his development drive.
Jonathan Wayo, a businessman in Prampram on his part said,” Paa Nii must be allowed to continue his term. I think he has done very well done any other Chief Executive we have seen since the Assembly was created”.
When asked about other applicants, they mentioned that, all the other candidates are known but their contributions to both the party and the constituency does not match that of the DCE.
They said Priscilla Okornoe who has also put herself up for the position has heavily been criticised as not done anything in the constituency or contributed anything to the progress of the party at the constituency level.
They mentioned that, signals have been picked that she is being pushed into the race by some national party executives and high profile people in government.
The locals thus mentioned that any attempt to force a candidate on them will not be countenanced because the era where people are forced to lead at the local levels had passed.
“Priscilla Okornoe has contributed nothing to this constituency yet we picked intelligence that per her connection with some high profile personalities at the top, she is still in the race. For the records, she has done nothing in the Constituency which could merit her slot in this contest of DCE”. a constituency party executive mentioned
They added that, Rita Akweley Addotey also only surfaced during the NPP primaries in the constituency when it was alleged that she was brought by the constituency executives with support from the current DCE for which we thus resisted.
“Why must we run our constituency in a manner that people would just infiltrate without having gone through the process. Rita Akweley Adotey surfaced during the NPP primaries and we had to fight her entry because we didn’t know her. We even picked intelligence she was being supported by the DCE but we resisted it because we want the right things to be done in this Constituency. We are not for or against anyone but we just want the right things to be done to serve as a measuring tool for all”. Some other constituency executives said in an interview
When asked why they were routing for the incumbent DCE, they said ” As a matter of fact, the chief executive has performed creditably and we believe if he is given the chance to serve another term, this district would see far more development than before which will sure shoot up our numbers at the polls in 2024″.
Among other things, the people interviewed mentioned a litany of projects undertaken by the incumbent Chief Executive; notable among them is the construction of school blocks, health posts,
Construction of teachers bungalow in mangotsonya, CHPS compound in Ayetepa, connection of water to prampram Senior High, 10 bed hospital in Dawhenya, An Islamic school in Afienya, storm drains in Prampram, new ningo and old ningo, Islamic school in prampram, 10 bed maternity clinic at old ningo, clinics in Ahwiam, Minya and Lakpleku among others.
In a related development, some residents within the Ashaiman Municipality are also praying the appointing Authorities to give the position to one Joseph Ofosu Siaw; a man they describe as a deserving candidate to succeed the two term incumbent who is seeking a third term.
Interview with some constituency stewards of the NPP, they said it is high time, the appointing Authorities gives the nod to a hard working and deserving candidate.
They mentioned that Joseph Ofosu Siaw is a candidate that has served the party from 1993 till date and has served through several ranks up to the regional level.
According to them, Joseph Ofosu Siaw has served the party in several categories and capacities and would be best fit for the job.
Among his achievements, they said Mr Siaw has been a member of the constituency campaign steering committee and has over the years contributed in many ways to better the lot of polling station/collation centre agent facilitators/trainers, management of Agents facilitators, Agents and Agents deployment in 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016 and 2020 elections.
They went ahead to say, Mr Siaw was the chairman of the Greater Accra Regional 1st Vice Chairmen Association from 2014-2017. In August 2015, he was the a Regional representative to supervise the Ayawaso Central Constituency Parliamentary primaries. He was later appointed to undertake a survey at Kpone Katamanso Constituency to assess the chances of aspiring Parliamentary candidates during the constituency primaries.
A polling station executive at at the Naa Amui north polling station, Ernestina Asante, on her part mentioned that, ” So far among the several candidates contesting the position of the MCE, Mr Siaw stands tall I must confess. I am a true party person and believe me, Siaw is the best man at the moment for the job. He joined the party as a young boy so many years ago and he has served in so many capacities and deserves the position as our MCE”.
Madam Asante noted,” Mr Siaw is seen as teacher within the Party because he has trained several party people within the constituency”.
A youth activist within the constituency, Robert Sani, told the media, “I have had the privilege of seeing the CV’s of some of the key candidates vying for the chief executive position and I think Siaw’s impressed me. He’s not my friend though but going through the CV’s of the candidates and their contributions to the party, I think in my opinion, Siaw should be given the job.” he noted
Mr Muazu Mohammed, first Nasara chairman in Ashaiman and a one time Parliamentary aspirant likened Mr Siaw to Mohammed Polo and Michael Essien; saying ” Siaw is the Mohammed Polo and Michael Essien of the Ashaiman NPP”.
Mr Muazu noted that ” Ashaiman will surely see massive change and development if Mr Siaw is chosen as our MCE. I joined the party in 1993 and I met Mr Siaw already serving the party together with her late mother who also served the party faithfully before her Denise. So Siaw deserves the position as the MCE. Hard work must indeed be rewarded”.
So far four people including the incumbent MCE Albert Boakye Okyere has been shortlisted for the final vetting but the residents of Ashaiman are of the view that the incumbent has served two terms and must not be considered again for the position because he has failed to live up to expectation.
“this is a chief executive under whose tenure several government lands within the Municipality have been encroached upon indiscriminately with no regard for the purposes for which they were reserved including water ways. He has failed to carry out simple development within the constituency and if he is reconsidered for the position, Ashaiman is doomed”.
Currently there is trouble looming in the Constituency as some proteges of the Chief Executive who have also built within the water land have threatened to take the law into their hands if their buildings are pulled down.
Early this year, some Assembly members within Ashaiman led a team of Assembly taskforce and Police to one of the said government lands which is a water land to ensure that development is halted but they were fiercely resisted by the developers.
The lack of political will to correct wrong and ensure that government lands are protected could create problems for future developmental drive and also affect urban agriculture within Ashaiman as reserved lands are being encroached upon.
Similarly, a Ghana Water buffer around the Municipal Assembly which has huge pipelines running underneath within the area has been encroached upon under the tenure of the incumbent MCE of Ashaiman, Albert Boakye Okyere.
Although the said pipeline reservation is also for the future expansion of the pipelines running from Akosombo to Accra, the Assembly continue to look on as such development progresses without building permit.
Apart from the resident, some Assembly members are also lamenting over the poor performance by the Chief Executive over the past four years.
They have thus also vowed to vote against the MCE if he is retained because he has failed to deliver on the needs of the people.
Yusuf Gariba is the Assembly Member for Nii Doku Electoral Area and according to him since the Municipal Chief Executive, Albert Boakye Okyere took office, he has failed to meet the developmental needs of the people of Ashaiman and it’ll be a disservice to bring him back.
The current MCE, Albert Boakye Okyere apart from the constituents seem not to be in the good books of his party people as some party polling station coordinators have also threatened to demonstrate if he is retained.
Yaw Donkor, a polling station Coordinator for instance said “Okyere has performed woefully in this his second coming. We are disappointed because we had high hopes of him but he really failed in all aspects including working with the party”. he said
However, Albert Boakye Okyere believes he has done a lot for the Municipality and must be given the nod to lead the Municipality again.