Some aggrieved assembly members of the Krowor Municipal Assembly (KroMA) have called for the immediate removal of the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Mr Joshua Nii Bortey, describing him as ‘incompetent.’

According to the aggrieved assembly members, “leaders of 21stCentury offers services to humanity and adopt solution-driven agenda to the benefit of the masses and not the few” but the MCE serves only his friends and family at the assembly.

Addressing a press conference in Accra yesterday, Sebastian Ampah, the Assembly member for the Mukweidjor Electoral Area, who spoke on behalf of his aggrieved colleagues, alluded to the provisions in the model Standing Orders of Local Government.

He said “pursuant to Order 3, section 16(1)(2) on page 10 of the Standing Orders of Local Government states, “The District Chief Executive may be removed from office at any time by a vote of no confidence supported by the votes of not less than two-third of all members of the district assembly passed against the District Chief Executive.

“A ballot on a vote of no confidence shall not be conducted unless a resolution supported by at least one-third of all the members of the assembly to that effect has been carried” supported by Section 20 subsection 4(a) of the local Government Act, 2016 (Act 936).

The aggrieved assembly members explained that per the clause of the Local Government Act and the model Standing Orders, they want the immediate removal of the MCE on grounds that he is “incompetent, arrogant and [fond of] display of power.”

Non-functional assembly

Mr Ampah told the media that the MCE had rendered non-functional the newly-inaugurated assembly created by the President Nana Akufo-Addo’s government from erstwhile Ledzokuku Krowor Municipal Assembly (LEKMA) in 2018 to bring development to the people of Nungua Krowor, but rather display arrogance and show of power.

“His incompetence has made the community not to benefit from the creation of the assembly,” he added.

Award of contracts and conflict of interest

The assembly members also accused the MCE of awarding all contracts of the Municipal Assembly to himself and his in-law, one Richmond Kotei Djane, who is also the superintendent of the revenue collection and its management at the assembly, which clearly indicates a conflict of interest, which is against the laws of the country.

No PM at KroMA

They also alleged that Mr Bortey, after the swearing-in of the newly-elected assembly members and the government appointees, ought to have ensured that an election was conducted by the Electoral Commission to choose a Presiding Memeber, but till date, he had not done that.

The aggrieved assembly members said apart from the fact that his incompetence had produced no results, it had led him to take an entrenched position not to call for the election of the Presiding Member through the Co-ordinating Director and so he was running the Municipality as a private entity.

No General assembly meeting, no committees

Mr Ampah said because MCE Bortey was interested in corrupt activities in the assembly and did not want anyone to challenge him, he had decided not to call for general assembly meeting to form committees, approve budget and do other things like having emergency activities such as Covid 19 deliberations “to see how we would manage our various electoral areas in these difficult times.

“The Municipal Assembly work through committees and his incompetence to produce Presiding Member has happily led him not to form the constitutionally-mandated committees and he is running the assembly from his dairy,” he said.

The aggrieved assembly members also lamented that the MCE had no respect for the assembly and did not engage them in any decision making process concerning the assembly.

Mini-demonstration

Prior to addressing the media, aggrieved assembly membersstaged a mimi-demonstration from the Nungua Traditional Authority offices to the premises of the assembly,

Seven out of the 11 assembly members who signed the release were Lawrence Nii Bortey Borquaye — Nii Laweh Electoral Area; Mr Francis Ashie Anum — Nii Odoi Ablade Electoral Area; William Ajai Okai — Antwere Gonno Electoral Area: Robert Oko Odiko — Klowe Konaa Electoral Area: Mr Abdulai Sakra, Blekese West Electoral Area; and Solomon Borteye Bortier, Sokpoti Electoral Area.