The Minister for Local Government, Decentralization and Rural Development, Dan Botwe has justified the nomination of Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) on partisan lines.
Mr. Botwe on Citi TV’s Point of View argued that just as it is the practice for Members of Parliament and Ministers of State to engage in active politics while serving in their roles, MMDCEs should also be at liberty to do same.
“If something is being put in place to make sure at the end of the day we will put in place a machinery that will make us win 2024 election, we can’t shy away from it. Nothing stops a Minister from doing his official functions and also performing his party functions.”
“Members of Parliament go and take part in our party functions. We do that and there is nothing wrong with that. In choosing people at the DCE level, they are performing their functions as stipulated in the constitution but again, they represent the face of the central government which is headed by the President who is an NPP member and was chosen by NPP manifesto,” Dan Botwe explained.
Government released the list of MMDCE nominees on Sunday, September 19, 2021, nine months after President Akufo-Addo’s new administration was inaugurated.
This announcement has been met with pockets of violence in some parts of the country.
Some aggrieved supporters of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Tema Central constituency earlier locked up the party’s office in protest of President Akufo-Addo’s nomination of Yohane Armah Ashitey as the MCE for Tema.
Some NPP youth at Chereponi in the North East Region also destroyed some structures after the nomination of Zuwera Mada Nashiru as the District Chief Executive was announced over the weekend.
The list of the MMDCEs has been forwarded to the various regional ministers.
The regional ministers are expected to contact the Electoral Commission, which will commence processes for assembly elections on the various nominees.
