Make peace with Asanteman Council – Bonsu told

Local governance analyst George Kyei Baffour has urged the mayor of Kumasi, Kojo Bonsu, to initiate dialogue with assembly members of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) and the Asanteman Council, following their call on President John Mahama to remove him from office.

The Asanteman Council Monday July 4, in a meeting with assembly members, called on the President to sack the KMA boss with immediate effect.

According to the Council, it could no longer tolerate the mayor nor work with him. The mayor has been accused of disrespecting the Council. However, speaking to Class News, Mr Baffour said the mayor should take steps to ensure mitigation.

“Kojo Bonsu should take the necessary steps to ensure mitigation and to dialogue with the Asanteman Traditional Council to ensure that they smoke the peace pipe for peace to prevail because if he doesn’t do that and he wants to stretch the issues with them...the ultimatum that they have issued that they might not allow any public or government official to relate to the council could create a lot of problems for government and for his administration as a whole. So, he has to take steps to ensure immediate mitigation,” he stated.

The council’s call for Mr Bonsu’s dismissal dovetails into similar demands made weeks and months ago by some residents of the city. Last month, some traders and assembly members adopted the use of billboards to drum home their request for the mayor’s removal.

The billboards, mounted at Ahodwo, Airport, and Santasi roundabouts, as well as at Adum and Manhyia, bear the image of the mayor with the inscription, ‘Kojo Bonsu Must Go’.