Kojo Bonsu stands accused over botched PM election

Assembly members loyal to one of the two candidates vying for the vacant position of a presiding member have pointed accusing fingers at the Metropolitan Chief Executive, Kojo Bonsu, of fighting tirelessly to block the comeback of Nana Kofi Senyah.

The Assembly members claim the Kumasi Mayor is being haunted by the alleged shady deals, inflated contractual figures and non-disclosure of project details, which they said, would be exposed once Nana Kofi Senyah is elected to take over the position.

The accusers could, however, not make any documentary evidence to prove these allegations. According to the assembly members, the election of the other candidate, Nana Baffour Adjei Kesse, will be a perpetuation of the alleged corrupt at the KMA.

The Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) has for the fourth consecutive time failed to elect a Presiding Member to steer the affairs of the General Assembly, after the two candidates failed to secure the two-thirds majority of the house, during an election on Tuesday.

After a pulsating election which ended in fisticuffs between supporters of the two candidates, Nana Senyah polled 68 votes as against 66 obtained by his contender, Nana Adjei Kesse.

The outcome of the result on Tuesday meant that a new date needed to be set for another election after an intervention by the Ashanti Regional Minister, Alexander Ackon, prevented second round election.

The intervention of the Minister followed a motion moved by a member of the house calling on the Regional Minister to use his respected office to settle the umpires and ensure that a compromised candidate is selected to enable the assembly embark on its activities.

The two candidates have been accused of allegedly representing the interests of the two leading political parties, with Nana Senyah alleged to be sympathetic to the opposition NPP whilst Adumhene, Nana Adjei Kesse, said to be doing the bidding of the MCE and by extension the ruling National Democratic Congress.

However, supporters of the two candidates have been trading accusations and counter-accusations at each other, with loyalists of Nana Senyah, alleging that the MCE, Mr. Kojo Bonsu, dreads the consequences of Nana Senyah’s return.

A known critic of the MCE, Abraham Boadi, an Assembly member for the Nhyiaeso Electoral Area, alleged on a local radio station in Kumasi yesterday that Mr. Kojo Bonsu, was fighting tooth and nail to prevent Nana Senyah from winning the election because of what he said were shady deals that the MCE did not want the public to know.

According to him, the Kumasi Mayor knows very well that once Nana Senyah is elected as the PM, it will mark the end of his autocratic and ‘one-man show.’

Hon. Abraham Boadi, popularly known as ‘Opooman’ specifically mentioned the ongoing market projects, particularly those at Kejetia, Tafo and Asawase, as some of the projects which required deep investigations hence the refusal by the MCE to allow Nana Senyah to stage a comeback.

His assertion has, however, been challenged by the Spokesperson of the Mayor, Samuel Gyamfi, who insists that his boss has nothing to hide as far as those projects and other activities at the assembly were concerned.

Next line of Acton

Meanwhile, the Public Relations Officer of the Assembly, Mr. Godwin Okumah Nyame, has told The Chronicle that the Assembly will be waiting for the outcome of an appeal made to the Regional Minister for his intervention.

He observed that considering the trend of results of the elections since October last year, it is not likely that a winner could be elected amongst the two candidates since both of them are not likely to obtain the two-thirds of the majority.

“For now we can only wait for the intervention of the Regional Minister; a motion was moved on Tuesday requesting his intervention so let’s keep our fingers crossed and see what happens,” Mr. Okumah Nyame indicated, stressing that the absence of a PM has greatly affected the operations of the assembly.