THE TEMA Traditional Council (TTC) is renewing its threat to government that the chiefs will not allow a non-indegene to be appointed the Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE) of Tema
According to them, they will not work with a non-indigene appointed to occupy the position of MCE.
The Chiefs stated emphatically that they will reject and not accord the needed courtesy to non-indigene if government fails to heed to their plea for the appointment of a native to the position.
They were of the view that they still stand by the oath they swore on May 26, 2016 to reject appointment of someone not from Tema to become the Mayor of Tema.
The chiefs further stated that they will not allow such non-indigene MCE to step foot at the traditional council until the person’s tenure was over.
Four years ago, the traditional council slaughtered a goat on oath and issued a threat that they would not countenance an appointment of non-indigene to occupy the position of a Mayor in Tema.
They explained that the positions of MMDCEs mostly across the country and the coastal areas to be precise were occupied by indigenes.
Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, Nii Armah Somponu, Tema Shipi and Secretary of the Tema Stool stated emphatically that an indigene should be given the MCE position.
According to him, from Volta Region to Western, indigenes were given the chance to occupy the position but Tema appears to be the only community facing challenges of having an indigene as a Mayor.
Nii Shipi clarified that they have no special person in mind although they had conducted interview for six persons including the current MCE.
He said: “So we are saying that to the extent that we also deserve what other people are enjoying, there must be an indigene to occupy the throne. This is to send a reminder to government that we still stand by the oath we swore on May 26, 2016.
“We thought that our sovereignty is being trampled upon because it gives credence to the perception that there’s no indigene in Tema because some people were of the view that Nkrumah brought us from some place to Tema. We want to relegate that issue to the background,” he indicated.
Meanwhile, 13 persons have filed to be appointed as MCE of Tema, including the current MCE, Felix Mensah Nii Annan-La, Charles Boateng, Charles Forson and Benjamin Ashitey, both defeated NPP parliamentary aspirants in the last internal party elections in Tema East.
However, six out of the total were indigenes who are seeking to occupy the position.
The Tema Traditional Council has already conducted interviews for the six aspirants.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is required by Article 243 (1) of the 1992 Constitution and Section 20 (1) of the Local Government Act 936 to nominate district Chief Executive Officers for the various assemblies in the country.
FROM Vincent Kubi, Tema