General News of Thursday, 19 April 2018

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

Sack Tarkwa-Nsuaem MCE immediately - NPP Tarkwa Executives to Akufo-Addo

Some executive members of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipality of the Western Region have asked President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to, as a matter of urgency, remove the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Gilbert Asmah, from his duty post.

The party members claimed they have lost faith in the MCE and are calling for his removal from office for non-performance.

According to them, instead of the MCE working to consolidate the gains of the party in the area, he was covertly knocking off the NPP's political fortunes in Tarkwa-Nsuaem.

They asserted that upon assumption of office as MCE, Gilbert Asmah was pursuing an agenda of total disregard for the Member of Parliament (MP) for the area, George Mireku Duker and the NPP hierarchy.

"The MCE has betrayed our collective resolve to develop our municipality and constituency", they asserted.

Addressing a press conference in Tarkwa yesterday, Benjamin Kessie, Tarkwa-Nsuaem Constituency Secretary of the NPP noted that the MCE was taking certain initiatives in the area with consulting party executives.

He alleged that the MCE was leading an agenda to ensure that the MP for the area became 'one term' MP for the Constituency.

He mentioned that the MCE had surrounded himself with some people suspected to be members of opposition NDC who were preventing them from having access to the MCE.

"The MCE in collaboration with other antagonists is manufacturing tapes and generating damning propaganda against the MP and the constituency party leadership ", he asserted.

He continued " The MCE's presidential posture has thwarted efforts by leaders of the party in the area to build bridges".

He accused the MCE of leaking information on every action of resolving issues to some people for publication to put the stakeholders in a bad light.

He also alleged that MCE made public pronouncements to the effect that the MP and some party leaders were consulting shrines to frustrate him (MCE) from delivering development to the people.

"We have submitted petitions to the appropriate offices for the removal of the MCE. We want someone who can pursue the government's agenda of massive development at the local levels", he stressed.

MCE Reacts

Reacting to the allegations, the MCE, Gilbert Asmah denied all assertions insisting he had no problem with the MP for the area and constituency party leadership.

According to him, the problem of some of the executives was that he, the MCE was having a cordial relationship with the former MP for the area, Gifty Kusi.

"Because Duker contested the former MP in the party's parliamentary primaries and lost, they see anyone perceived to be a supporter of Hon Kusi as their enemies ", he added.

"They also want me to sack all civil servants at the municipal assembly perceived to be NDC members".

"These are the problems they are having with me but I am focused and would not allow some of these issues to distract me from carrying out my duties as MCE", he assured.