Two DCEs out, three in

President Nana Addo Akufo-Addo has sacked two district chief executives.

No reason was assigned for the dismissal of William Asante Bediako, the District Chief Executive of Amansie South in the Ashanti Region and Dennis Miracles Aboagye, the Akuapem North Municipal Chief Executive in the Eastern Region.

However,  in the case of Mr Bediako there were reports that he openly endorsed illegal mining, popularly known as ‘galamsey.’

A statement signed and issued by the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Hajia Alima Mahama, announced their replacements.

The government has been struggling to stamp out galamsey, as illegal miners wreak havoc in the country’s forests and water bodies.

The President was said to be “upset and embarrassed” after his appointee openly endorsed ‘galamsey’.

The DCE was reported to have said that he would not clamp down on galamsey because it was a major job avenue for his constituents.

With a shot in the arm from the public, particularly the Media Coalition Against Galamsey, President Akufo-Addo banned small scale mining in March 2017.

The ban was lifted in December 2018 as the government started the implementation of the Multilateral plan in the small scale mining sector.

Hundreds of excavators were seized from illegal miners as part of the exercise to clamp down on illegal mining.

However, about 500 disappeared under mysterious circumstances.

Ahead of the 2020 election, galamsey is expected to be topical, a reason that may have informed the President to toss out Mr. Bediako from office.

The President has nominated Clement Opoku Gyamfi to replace Mr. Bediako as the DCE for Amansie South.

In the case of the Akuapem North MCE, theghanareport.com gathered that there is a strained relationship between the MCE and the  Member of Parliament for Akuapem North, Nana Dokua Asiama-Adjei.

A source within the party in the area told theghanareport.com that the legislator, who is also a Deputy Minister of Information, said she was not comfortable working with the MCE.

The MCE is seen as a high-flying official within the local government circles. He was the only constituency youth organiser in NPP who was nominated by the President as the MCE for Akuapem North in 2017.

Barima Sarpong Asiedu-Larbi has been nominated to replace him.

It is not clear what has caused the rift between the two leaders.

It could not be the jostle for the Akuapem North seat as Ms. Asiamah-Adjei went unopposed during the NPP primaries.

The NPP in 2017 smartly resolved the in-fighting between their MPs and MMDCEs when the party is in office.

It directed that metropolitan, municipal and district chief executives interested in going to Parliament should resign ahead of the party’s primaries.

The move had become necessary because of the bad blood that exists between MPs and MMDCEs as the latter often used their position to court the influence of delegates at the expense of most incumbent lawmakers.

The National Council of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), therefore, resolved that all persons serving as MMDCEs who wish to contest as parliamentary candidates in constituencies where the party has a sitting Member of Parliament (MP) must resign from their current positions at least three years before the national general election.

The decision only applies to constituencies where the party has sitting MPs and does not in  ‘orphan’ constituencies where the party does not have sitting MPs.

Meanwhile, the President has also appointed Abdul-Mumin Issah as the new Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis. He replaces the late K.K. Sam, who succumbed to coronavirus.

 

Below is the statement on the newly appointed MDCEs