President John Dramani Mahama yesterday named his first batch of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) nominees amidst agitations from National Democratic Congress (NDC) supporters. They are 13 in number.

Most of the nominees are from the Ashanti and Central regions.

They included Alhaji Latif Majdoud for Adansi North, Ebenezer K. Akuoko-Frimpong for Sekyere Central; Kwame Adarkwah for Bosome Freho; Richard Ofori- Agyeman Boadi for Obuasi; Paul Kingsley Arweh Averu for Asante Akim North and Donkor Fuseini for Sekyere Afram Plains.

The rest were Alhaji Nuru Hamidan for Asokore Mampong; Alhaji Braimah Boyong for Asante Akim Central; Alex D. Antwi Bosiako for Assin North; Theophilus Aidoo- Mensah for Gomoa West; Nii Ephraim for Effutu Municipal; Francis Kofi Korankye Sakyi for Twifo/Heman/Lower Denkyira and Ibrahim Kwaku Dawson for Ekumfi.

A statement issued and signed by the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Akwasi Opong-Fosu, said this was in accordance with Section 243(1) of the 1992 Constitution and Section 20(1) of the Local Government Act 1993, Act 462.

Reports said the nominations had already started generating controversy in NDC circles since some party faithful in the affected areas were not happy with the President’s nominees.

Members of the ruling NDC at Ekumfi, hometown of the late President John Evans Atta Mills, were said to have tabled a petition against the nomination of Ibrahim Kwaku Dawson, popularly called ‘Michigan’, who contested the NDC parliamentary primary but lost.

NDC BOILS

Scores of NDC supporters at the Asawase Constituency in Kumasi kicked against the nomination of Alhaji Nuru Hamidan as the MCE for Asokore Mampong.

The irate group by name ‘Concerned Youth of Asawase NDC’ insisted the President’s nominee for the top post is not trustworthy so they would not support his bid.

They have consequently charged the presidency to quickly replace Alhaji Hamidan with a different party person to promote peace and unity in the Asawase NDC.

This was contained in a press statement signed and issued to the media on Wednesday by Mohammed Awal Zakari, Tiam Yakubu and Shaibu Ahmed, all leading members of the Asawase NDC group.

The NDC group slammed the presidency for not consulting the party’s grassroots members at Asawase, which had resulted in the selection of Alhaji Hamidan, who they claimed had not sacrificed for the party.

“We are of the view that the appointment was made without consulting the rank and file of the party in the constituency,” the statement pointed out.

It added “Alhaji Nuru Hamidan is not somebody who has suffered for the party in the constituency and he is not the people’s favourite. We have not seen him in any of our party activities in the constituency.”

The aggrieved NDC group alleged that “Alhaji Hamidan is currently under investigation in the ongoing ‘GYEEDA’ financial malpractices.”

The NDC Concerned Youth said, “We are therefore calling on the leadership of the party to withdraw him because if the ‘GYEEDA’ report implicates him, it will be suicidal on our part.”

They said though the President had the prerogative to appoint anybody he wanted “considerations should have been made for somebody whom the grassroots support”.

There are, however, indications of more of such protests coming up in the days ahead as and when the names are released.

What is not clear is whether or not some of these protestations, which have often characterised some of these nominations, would make the President bow to pressure and change his decision.