The Manya Krobo District Assembly on Thursday called on the Electoral Commission (EC) to organise early bye-elections in six electoral areas at Akuse and Amedeka.

The 79-member assembly unanimously adopted a motion to that effect at its first ordinary meeting on Thursday at Odumase-Krobo.

Six of its members defected to the Dangbe West District Assembly in Greater Accra Region after their election last September, creating vacancies in the Manya Krobo assembly.

The defectors were Caxton Adjei Obodai, Zongo Electoral Area, Francis Odonkor Quarcoo, Amedeka Electoral Area, Victor Kwablah Klogo, Osukutu Electoral Area, Emmanuel Narh Konor, Akutu Electoral Area, Nana Kofi Aboagye, Salor Electoral Area and Sylvanus Kwaku Attigor Akuse Bungalows Electoral Area.

The District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr Andrews Teye, said due to the wilful absence of the six members, their constituents could not present development programmes to the assembly for attention.

The DCE expressed the hope that the EC would conduct early bye-elections in the affected electoral areas to reverse the situation.

Mr Teye said more than 1.5 billion cedis of the assembly's last year's share of the Common Fund was being spent on a 10-sector development plan.

He said more than 1.2 billion cedis of the Social Investment Fund allocation was being used to construct six-unit classroom blocks at Wawase, Anyensu-Kperti, Poponya-Fantem and Dawa-Kpesebi.

Mr Teye also enumerated the construction of a block of three-classrooms at Ayermesu, the building of a vocational centre at West Kpong and a tye/dye and batik-training facility for 30 women at Kpongunor as other projects yet to be accomplished.

He appealed to the government to elevate Odumase-krobo to Urban Council to enhance development and called for the rehabilitation of roads and drainage systems in the area.

Mr Teye said the assembly was sponsoring 90 teacher trainees and 36 senior secondary school students to enable them to complete their courses at the cost of 75.6 million cedis this academic year.