The Ghana 1992 Constitution mandates the sitting president to nominate candidates for the Metropolitan, Municipal, and District assemblies as their Chief Executives.
This is done in consultation with the traditional leadership and other relevant bodies of the various localities or assemblies. Such bodies recommend a candidate for the post, present the person to the president.
Nonetheless, the ultimate nomination of a candidate for the post is the prerogative of the president.
The Constitution goes further to demand that the final nominee for the post by the president must be presented to the assembly for approval through direct popular election by the assembly members.
Again, there is a requirement that the nominee must gain two-thirds (2/3) of the genuine votes cast by the assembly members to be confirmed approved.
In the event of the nominee not getting two-thirds or above but fall short of that, it means the nominee has been rejected.
The right by the president to present three times the same rejected nominee to the assembly in the hope of getting him or her approved through election is bestowed upon him by the Constitution.
The nominee failing to be approved at the third election is finally done away with, considered as not fit for the post in the eyes of the assembly members and the inhabitants of the district.
The citizens of the district know better. They know who can represent them effectively better to ensure that the district and the people therein are not side-lined during the distribution of the national cake by the president and his government.
Therefore, for anyone to assume that the rejection of a nominee for the post of Metropolitan/ Municipal/ District/ Chief Executive (MMDCE) constitutes an indictment of the president is simply not being fair, if not being irresponsible.
If the Constitution does not realize the benefit of electing candidates to that position, it will have granted the president the absolute right to impose candidates on the municipalities or districts. Subsequently, the constitutional clauses as are enshrined therein must be respected and adhered to until the Constitution is amended.
Going forward, there is a strong rumour bandying about in Kumawu Sekyere District that some NPP gurus will descend on Kumawu to impress upon the assembly members to vote a third time to approve the incumbent but nominee DCE, thus, Samuel Addai Agyekum (Hon?) who has suffered rejection in two elections already conducted.
The NPP top gurus deciding to go down to Kumawu believe that the rejection of the president’s nominee constitutes a damning indictment of the integrity of His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, hence their obligation to make sure the nominee is approved.
I find their reasoning extremely preposterous and in contravention of the relevant constitutional clause in regard to the approval of nominees by direct popular election as stated above.
In every election, you either win or lose. How come that some people are not ready to accept defeat but will want to go any length to ensure that a defeat twice effected turns into victory in what may be a forced third time lucky?
I am compelled to put out this publication based on the disadvantaged position of Kumawu Sekyere District vis-à-vis the local government level of the national distribution of developmental projects. Yes, Kumawu like all cities, towns, and villages throughout Ghana, is benefitting from the president’s free Senior High School education.
However, when it comes to other projects as are springing up in other districts and constituencies, Kumawu, if it were a soldier gone to war, would be declared as missing in action (MIA).
Kumawu district, especially Kumawu township, has got nothing! Who is to blame for the non-profitability of Kumawu Sekyere district from the president’s sharing of the national cake?
If my opinion were sought, I would say, blame DCE Samuel Addai Mensah. He goes on air, sitting on Kessben TV and other radio stations lying about the developments being realized in Kumawu Sekyere District by His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and his NPP government whereas indeed, nothing of the sort is being done.
Our elders say, “When you deny yourself a guiding commentary when having a haircut, you only end up with a bad haircut”. This being true if we the citizens of the district refuse to demonstrate our dissatisfactions with how we are being short-changed because of the incompetence, cluelessness, shallow-mindedness, and diarrheal-lying by the DCE, Samuel Addai Mensah, we shall never end up being treated fairly, unlike the other districts and constituencies with serious DCEs and MPs.
The only best way to register our disaffection with his deplorable conduct is for the assembly members to vote to reject him. If the assembly members are fulfilling their duties to the citizens of the district, why should strangers, of course, NPP members from other districts, seek to come and force him upon us, citing the nonsensical excuse of, their rejection of him is an indictment of the president?
Is it not said, he who is afflicted with a problem, knows better the intensity of their suffering? Is it not the people of the district who understand best as to whether to maintain or reject the person nominated by the president to be their DCE or MCE?
Why then should outsiders, out of their selfish quests bordering on corruption, underestimation of the intelligence of others, and sense of false superiority, endeavour to impose someone of their choice on the people but who in the wisdom of the citizens, do not need the person being imposed on them?
Was it the president the person who went out his own way to locate the nominee? Was the nominee not recommended to the president based on the desires of those recommending him or her?
If those recommending the candidate had done so with ill-motive towards the majority of the people, should the people that the candidate is coming to serve not have the right to air their opposition?
How does their airing of opposition through rejection of the nominee amount to disrespect for the president or indictment of his policy?
Is it difficult for the president and the NPP leaders to listen to the voice of the people for once? Do they learn lessons from their past, sorry to say, irresponsible actions of imposition of candidates of their choice on constituencies, only to end up suffering bloody nose?
The most recent sad case is the Adansi Fomena MP who finally went independent, got elected, and is now the one holding the “make or break” card for NPP in parliament.
NPP had better learn that once bitten, twice shy.
How I wish the Kumawu Sekyere District assembly members will vote to reject that sycophant Samuel Addai Mensah until the President feels the obligation to replace him by nominating another person.
The interference by whomever, be they Simon Osei-Mensah, Chairman Wontumi et al, to resort to any action to get the assembly members to vote to approve the current nominee will amount to their total disregard for the welfare of the people within the district.
They had better think twice before they act.
By Rockson Adofo