Politics of Thursday, 26 November 2015

Source: classfmonline.com

'Oko, MMDCEs elected PCs must resign'

Mayor Oko Vanderpuije Mayor Oko Vanderpuije

All 37 Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) elected as parliamentary candidates in the governing party’s recently held primaries must resign, former Chieftaincy Minister S K Boafo has told Class News anchor Regina Borley Bortey.

The former Ashanti Regional Minister argued that the 37 MMDCEs, by dint of their election to represent the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in next year’s elections, have put themselves in a conflict of interest position.

“Any person who is elected personally should resign, so that it will not conflict with his interest,” Mr Boafo said.

“Now there are so many of them, who were appointed by the Government, and they were confirmed by the Assembly’s Act of Parliament and they are also paid from the Consolidated Fund or parliament provides their salaries, so, they are completely in conflict of their office and, therefore, they have to resign,” Mr Boafo said.

Seventy-six MMDCEs were among the 728 Candidates, who contested the primaries in the November 21 and 22 primaries.

Three were from the Western Region, 13 from the Central Region, one from the Volta Region, another 13 from the Ashanti Region, one from Greater Accra – Mayor Oko Vanderpuije, eleven from the Eastern Region, ten from the Brong Ahafo Region, and four from the Northern Region.

Upper East and Upper West had 12 and eight MMDCEs, respectively, who took part in the primaries.