Polls across the country to elect Presiding Members for the various Assemblies this year have generally been smooth and peaceful, Felix Mensah Nii Anang-La, President of the National Association of Local Government Authorities (NALAG) has said.

Although the elections of some few assemblies in the country were still pending, the NALAG President said it was a step in the right direction to congratulate all of them for the progress so far.

“As an Association, we have cause to be proud that democracy at the local level is really maturing; this year’s elections have been absolutely peaceful and devoid of rancour. This is a testament to the fact that Local governance, of which we are custodians, is indeed maturing,” he said in Tema.

Nii Annang-La said this after witnessing, yet another peaceful election at his own Assembly, the Tema Metropolitan Assembly, where Mr Patrick Laweh Atitiati, Assembly Member for the Railways Electoral Area, was elected Presiding Member.

He polled 34 out of 47 votes cast.

The NALAG President who is also the Metropolitan Chief Executive for Tema, thanked all Assembly Members, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives for the show of character that had ensured a peaceful electioneering process.

The Tema Mayor also attributed the peaceful turnout to the confidence that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo had injected into local governance. “His Excellency the President gave us the impetus when he reiterated the campaign promise to make Local Governance more competitive with the institution of the election of DCEs and I believe it is that impetus that has inspired so much maturity in all of us,” he said.

His main competitor Joseph Korto, who is the Assembly Member for Low Cost Electoral Area managed 13 votes, while the third contestant, Kwesi Poku Bosompem, Assembly Member for Halcrow Electoral Area withdrew his candidature before the polls.

The Tema Mayor, in his capacity as the President of NALAG, congratulated Laweh Atitiati for his election as the Presiding Member and urged him to use his new role to help spur President Akufo-Addo’s agenda to transform Ghana.

Mr Atitiati was however not sworn-in as the Judge who was to carry out the activity did not turn up.T

The MCE called on all PMs elected nationwide to position themselves as agents of development at the various Assemblies to enable President Akufo-Addo channel development to the ordinary Ghanaian.

“We have all seen that this President is a transformational leader who does not have the word “impossible” in his set of lexicon. Ghana is picking itself up to run again because of President Akufo-Addo and all Assembly Members must position themselves to be a part of the progress.

“I call on all NALAG members in Assemblies, where the elections are complete, to close our ranks, now that the elections are over, so that we can deliver on our mandate as Local Government Authorities to the benefit of our people.”

He urged the few Assemblies who were yet to elect their PMs to take cue from the peaceful processes in the rest of the country so far.