-As Assembly fails to elect PM
The
Member of Parliament for Aburi-Nsawam, Osei Bonsu Amoah, has called on Assembly
members of the newly-created Akuapem South District to relegate their partisan
interest to the background and pursue peace and unity to ensure development in
the area.
According
to the MP, it would not serve the collective interest of the people if the
Assembly members allowed their partisan political interest to influence their decisions
and activities as champions of development in the area.
Mr
Amoah was addressing the Assembly members Wednesday at their maiden meeting
convened for the purpose of electing a Presiding Member.
“We
are just starting this Assembly and it is important that, as people who want to
see development in our communities, we have a peaceful start and work to
sustain it because that is the surest way we can speed up our development
agenda,” he appealed to the Assembly members.
In
spite of the MP’s admonition, the Assembly failed to elect a PM, as none of the
three candidates secured the mandatory 2/3 majority of the votes to occupy the
position after two rounds of voting supervised by the District Electoral
Officer, William Letu.
In
the first round of voting, Samuel Gamson polled 13 out of the votes cast by the
31 members; Eric Appeadu Yeboah secured 11 votes; while Michael Ahweren
garnered 6 votes. Seth Kofi Kumatse had
earlier stepped down from the race.
The
second round of voting between Samuel Gamson and Eric Appeadu Yeboah also
failed to produce a winner, as they secured 16 and 11 votes respectively, with
the higher votes still falling short of the mandatory 2/3 majority of the votes
cast.

Addressing
the Assembly after the exercise, the visibly worried Coordinating Director of the
newly-created District, I.K Acheampong, reminded the members of the cost
implication of voting several times without being able to elect a Presiding
Member.

Mr
Acheampong announced that in line with the Local Government Act, another
meeting would be convened in two weeks time to elect the PM.
He
urged the members to put the interest of the new Assembly above their personal
and sectional interest and do consultations among themselves ahead of the day
to ensure that the stalemate is broken when they meet again for the election.