Assembly members demand cash before endorsing president’s nominee

Credible report indicates that elected Assembly members and government appointees of the Lower Manya Krobo Municipality in the Eastern Region have locked horns over the former’s demand to take GHS2000 from Mr. Jacob F.K. Akorlatse, the President’s nominee to the Assembly.

Whilst the Assembly members are bent on taking the said money before giving the President’s nominee the nod, government appointees on the other hand have kicked against the move since it is unconstitutional.

According to the 45 elected members of the house, experience over the years has shown that, opportunities and contracts which arguably to be given to them to raise money to support their electoral areas were given to cohorts of the MCE, hence they would take their pan of flesh before endorsing him.

”we are not going to allow the hen to lay eggs before one decides to give us some of the egg or not rather we would kill it before it lays eggs”, they provably stated.

This came to light at a meeting which took place last Sunday at SG Lodge at Odumase which was attended by the Assembly members, government appointees, immediate past MCE Mr. Isaac Agbo-Tetteh, Hon. Ebenezer Okletey Terlarbi, Member of Parliament (MP) for the area and Mr. Jacob F.K Akorlatse after Hon. Fred Tetteh, Assemblyman for Kpowunor Electoral area made the demand on behalf of his colleagues.

The meeting among other things was to solicit the support of members of the house came to an abrupt end after misunderstanding ensued between the elected members and government appointees.

As the government appointees flex muscles with their colleagues to abort the unconstitutional agenda, the MCE to be has agreed to pay GHS500 per head but the Assembly members have insisted that anything short of GHS2000, he should count himself out.

Touching some amount of seriousness to the matter, the out-going Eastern Regional Minister Mr. Julius Debrah on Tuesday at about 2:30pm invited the 14 government appointees and other key stakeholders to his residence to brainstorm on how to tackle the problem before June 18, this year date for the confirmation

The paper’s source at the meeting said, the out-going minister has tasked the immediate past MCE, MP and the government appointees to press upon the elected members to rescind their decision since the appointee has not gotten that much.

Speaking with the paper on a condition of anonymity, one of the aforementioned people tasked to persuade the elected members said, despite the fact that, paying to Assembly members before conformation was normal, the demands for outrageous.

“Where is Akorlatse going to get that GHS 90,000 for the 45 Assembly members at this time when there is no money in the system, Assembly’s Common Fund not coming in regularly? I don’t think this is the way to go”, he questioned. When this reporter called him on his cell phone, Mr. Akorlatse, a former Managing Director of Times Corporation confirmed having a meeting with the said group to introduce himself to and asked them to confirm him but they didn't discuss any money matter.