Cape Coast assembly members return “election money” as president’s nominee loses vote
It is being reported that assembly members in the Cape Coast Metropolis have returned monies that were allegedly given to them by the twice-rejected Cape Coast Mayor nominee Ernest Arthur in order to influence their votes.
The assembly members who have twice refused to give Arthur 44 out of 56 votes necessary for his installation are thought to have returned the money because the arrangement was “illegal”.
An Accra-based radio station, Starr FM, reported that the members have cited the Oguaa Traditional Council as one of the agents of pressure to return the money.
Leader of the group of assembly members Usman Abban told Starr FM that the money was returned for future reference adding that it was also to avoid election violence and insecurity in the area.
Arthur has twice failed to secure the percentage of votes for his acclamation as the mayor of the Central Regional capital.
The Central Regional Minister, Justina Assan, earlier in the week, knelt down to beg the assembly members to vote for the nominee but that did change the minds of the assembly members.
Having failed the two-thirds test about a week ago, the expectation was that this week, Arthur was going to secure 44 votes to make him sail through but that was never to happen but was 4 votes shy this time around.
Meanwhile, other reports are claiming that President Nana Akufo-Addo has for the third time nominated Arthur for the mayoral position.
Meanwhile, in Accra, Elizabeth Kwatsoe Sackey has received a unanimous endorsement as the MCE for the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA).
Weeks after her nomination by President Akufo-Addo, assembly members of the AMA convened to vote her approval or rejection.
The former MP for Okaikwei got a resounding ‘Yes’ from all the 33 assembly members of the AMA who voted.
Having been approved, she became the first female Mayor of Accra.
She is, therefore, to succeed Mohammed Adjei Sowah.
Speaking after her approval, Elizabeth Sackey, who could not hide her joy, called for support from all stakeholders to drive the development of AMA.