Nkoranza Chief Executive Survives Vote Of No Confidence

Nkoranza (B/A), - 8 June The Nkoranza District Chief Executive, Mr Douglas Adjei-Kuffuor survived an attempt to remove him from office when a secret ballot on a vote of no confidence tabled against him failed to get the needed two-thirds majority. In a tension-packed election held in a heavy police presence at Nkoranza yesterday, 33 assembly members constituting about 53.2 per cent of the 62-member assembly voted in support of the removal of Mr Adjei-Kuffuor. The percentage however fell short of the 66.6 per cent or 41 more

votes that were needed to effect his removal. Mr Adjei-Kuffuor needed a minimum of 21 votes to guarantee his stay in office but he got 29. The balloting, said to be the first ever to have been conducted on a serving District Chief Executive in the Brong Ahafo Region, was supervised by a team of electoral officers led by Mr C.O. Addei, Regional Director of the Electoral Commission. After the counting of the ballots, Mr Addei re-stated the provisions of Section 17 of the District Assemblies standing orders which states that a vote of no confidence in a DCE could only hold when supported by two-thirds majority in a secret ballot. Mr Addei then announced ''Mr Adjei-Kuffuor, by the results of yesterday's secret balloting, therefore, remains as the District Chief Executive of Nkoranza". In a brief speech, Mr Adjei-Kuffuor pledged to work closely with all assembly members including those who championed his abortive removal from office. He denied ever embezzling money and explained that a portion of the assembly's ceded revenue he was accused of squandering was actually used to pay salary and social security contributions of its workers which were in arrears for months. Meanwhile, the Nkoranza Constituency Chairman of the National Democratic Congress, Mr Philip Kwabena Kyeremeh, has commended the assembly members for the peaceful manner in which they went about the balloting. He appealed to them to put the past behind them and co-operate with Mr Adjei-Kuffuor so that the development of the district is not unduly retarded.