Atebubu (B/A) June 24, GNA: - Assembly members at Atebubu Traditional Area have come under pressure not to endorse Mr Cassius Osei Poku the Government's nominee for appointment as the District Chief Executive (DCE) for the Atebubu District, Mr Mohammed Sherif, Atebubu Constituency New Patriotic Party (NPP) Secretary has said.

Mr Sherif Mohammed, who was speaking to the GNA in a telephone interview, said the Assembly members were to swear an oath to cast a "No vote" against Mr Osei-Opoku at the Assembly's meeting on Tuesday at Atebubu. He said the oath taking was scheduled for the Atebubuhene,s Palace any moment from Friday. He mentioned Nana Owusu Gyima, the Atebubu NPP Constituency Chairman and Mr K.K. Asante, a Government appointed member of the Assembly as the architects behind the swearing of the oath.

Nana Owusu Achiaw Bempong, the Atebubuhene told the GNA that he had heard of the oath taking and that the Atebubu Police had asked him about the issue. He said the plot was inimical to peace and promised to ensure that nobody used threat to force the Assembly members to reject the DCE nominated by the President John Agyekum Kufuor.

Nana Gyima told the GNA that the people of Atebubu were aggrieved because the DCE's name was not among those submitted to the President for consideration as DCE. He disassociated himself from the plot to make some of the Assembly members to swear an oath not to vote for the DCE at the appointed voting day. Investigations the GNA conducted revealed that the DCE had performed creditably during his four-year term in office and that the Assembly members if left on their own would confirm him.