An attempt by some members of the Ejisu Municipal Assembly to pass a vote of no confidence against the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Jerryne Asante, was unsuccessful on Thursday after the Assembly Hall, where the meeting was scheduled, was found locked.
The development heightened tensions at the Assembly premises, where a heavy police presence was deployed to maintain law and order and prevent any disturbances.
The aggrieved Assembly members, dressed in red and black clothing with red armbands to symbolise their protest, held a press conference outside the locked building to express their frustration over the situation.
Speaking on behalf of the group, Assembly Member for Kwamo Electoral Area, George Kuntu Blankson, said members arrived at the Assembly only to discover that the meeting venue had been locked.
He claimed inquiries at the Assembly’s Works Department indicated that the keys to the hall had allegedly been taken on the instructions of the MCE.
According to the members, the Ashanti Regional Minister, Dr Frank Amoakohene, had written to the Assembly requesting that the planned vote be postponed to allow for dialogue aimed at resolving the dispute.
However, the Assembly members rejected the intervention, insisting that neither the Regional Minister nor the MCE has the legal authority to postpone a meeting of the General Assembly.
The attempt to remove the MCE follows months of disagreements between her and some Assembly members over allegations of financial misconduct, abuse of office and failure to comply with Assembly directives.
Among the accusations are claims that GH¢29,000 collected from a local company in August 2025 as property rates and business operating permit fees was diverted by the MCE and her personal aide for the purchase of roofing sheets for private use.
The Assembly members further alleged that market traders have repeatedly complained about poor sanitation and alleged extortion by the MCE’s personal aide.
They said the issues were referred to the Assembly’s Public Relations and Complaints Committee, which summoned the MCE in April 2026 and later gave her a two-week deadline to address the concerns and refund the alleged diverted funds.
Claiming that the deadline expired without any action, the group has now given Jerryne Asante one week to voluntarily resign.
