The lack of a Presiding Member for the Agona West Municipal Assembly for well over a year has plunged the municipality into serious crisis.
The Assembly has failed on six (6) attempts to elect a Presiding Member.
“For lack of a PM we are unable to call for Assembly Meetings to decide on major developmental programs. Everything at a standstill. Nothing is going on here and it seems nobody cares about it”, a staff at the Assembly lamented.
The Agona West Municipal Assembly is one of the populous areas in the Central region with huge economic potentials, but due to internal wrangling over the past four years, it has failed to see the desired development.
The Local Government Act states the critical role of the Presiding Member and without him the Assembly cannot conduct its business including approving yearly budget for various projects and programs.
Some have blamed the outgoing Municipal Chief Executive, Mrs. Justina Assan for the current situation.
Investigations at the Assembly indicate that the PM position has become vacant because the MCE has been trying to impose her favorite on the Assembly members.
“Not only is she incompetent but she has a bad interpersonal relationship and does not respect Assembly members in the municipal, so we will not vote for anybody she dares impose on us” the source pointed out.
“She has sidelined almost all the elected members. She did the same thing to our predecessors which affected their output in their electoral areas.”
Due to the perception that she doesn’t respect them, they keep voting against anybody they suspect was sponsored to that position by the MCE.
“She normally picks her cronies and use them for her interest, forgetting that she will need all of us in times like this. The painful part is that the MCE will go every mile with you if she needs you but she will just dump you shortly after. When some members rose to pass vote of no confidence on her, it was some of us that defended her but she has abandoned us.” An aggrieved member who pleaded for anonymity claimed.
Meanwhile, sources indicate that two Assembly members are contending for the PM position now. The MCE is said to be sponsoring one Hon. Oduro of Bobikuma whilst others are rooting for one Solomon Forson.
The Assembly Members supporting the candidature of Mr. Forson are accusing the camp of Oduro of trying to induce people with money.
