Tension is brewing in Asante Mampong following President John Dramani Mahama’s nomination of Yakubu Issifu as the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for the area.

The nomination, announced on Thursday, July 17, 2025, has sparked strong opposition from the traditional elders of the town, who claim the decision is a show of disrespect to the community.

At the heart of their discontent is what they describe as a disregard for local sentiment. According to the elders, Yakubu Issifu, a Northerner, is not an acceptable choice for the position especially after some members of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) allegedly expressed their unwillingness to accept an Asante candidate for the same post in the past.

“When the constituency executives protested and said they did not want an Asante as the MCE, we expected the leadership of the NDC to engage the elders of Mampong to resolve the issue. But we heard nothing from them,” a spokesperson for the elders said during a press briefing.

He added, “We live peacefully here with Northerners, but if they said they didn’t want an Asante, do they now expect us to accept a Northerner? Our stance is a direct response to what was said earlier. We are humbly telling the President that we are not happy with this appointment. It shows a lack of respect for Mampong, and we respectfully ask him to revoke it.”

The nomination of Yakubu Issifu comes months after local NDC executives staged a protest, opposing what they believed were unfair nomination processes for the MCE role. That protest reportedly contributed to delays in finalizing the position.