One of the Local Government Service staff interdicted for engaging in active politics has said he had filed his letter of resignation prior to his interdiction.
The staff, Roland Nsoh-Billa Abire, who is leaving the service to contest the New Patriotic Party Bolgatanga East parliamentary primary, worked in the Kassena-Nankana municipal assembly as an assistant district engineer.
He was interdicted alongside Alexander Hedidor, also from the Kassena-Nankana municipal assembly and Alhaji Maazu Abubakar who works with the Builsa South District Assembly.
On Eyewitness News, Nsoh-Billa said he was well aware of the directives against engaging in active politics and sent his resignation to the Navrongo municipal assembly in line with internal directives.
“As part of the service conditions, I realised that I was supposed to resign and I did tend my letter five clear days before this head of the service letter came in.”
“If they had done due diligence and asked at the respective assembly whether the guy had presented his letter, I think they would have received a positive response.”
Also on Eyewitness News, the Head of the Local Government Service, Dr. Nana Ato Arthur, reiterated his outfit’s stance on the matter.
He referenced a Supreme Court ruling involving the Civil and Local Government Staff Association, Ghana, (CLOGSAG) where clarity was sought on the question of employes in active service belonging to any political party.
“We all have the freedom to belong to any political party but whilst in the service, we cannot overtly be seen to belong to a political party.”
He also mentioned Article 284 of the constitution which deals with conflict of interest, insisting that it was a reason why the staff of the service needed to appear politically neutral in the open.