EC Boycotts Confirmation Of Adenta MCE

The Adenta Municipal Assembly, on Thursday, postponed its sitting to confirm the President's Municipal Chief Executive nominee, because of division between the assembly members and the ex-Municipal Chief Executive.

Mrs. Nubly Kakra Vanlare, former Municipal Chief Executive, who was re-nominated to be confirmed by the Assembly, and Mr. Gabriel Dery, Municipal Coordinating Director, were absent from the meeting. The five President's nominees on the assembly were also not present.

Besides, electoral officials invited by assembly members to supervise the confirmation of the President's nominee, also boycotted the process.

The boycott by the electoral officials was apparently because of orders from the Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) to the Adenta Municipal Assembly to postpone the meeting to a different date, which they refused to do.

Dr. Desmond Aryee-Boi, the Presiding Member of the Adenta Municipal Assembly, said the assembly members were summoned to the meeting, based on invitations from the Adenta Municipal Assembly on August 13, 2013, relating to the nomination of Mrs. Nubly Kakra Vanlare, and steps to be taken towards her confirmation.

He explained that when the assembly received the instruction from the RCC to postpone the meeting, he stated that as the Presiding Member, he wrote back to the RCC, telling them that the time for the directive was too short, since invitations had already been sent to the assembly members.

He stated that by the Local Government Act 1993 (Act 462), the assembly was clothed with powers to make bye-laws and take decisions on its own.

Dr. Aryee-boi stated that before a nominee was confirmed, he would have to get 67 per cent of the assembly members' votes. He said consensus building was the only way to move the assembly forward, adding that the various functionaries within the assembly would have to change their attitude to work, to ensure the development of the area.

Mr. Eric Tony Blair, an Assembly Member, stated that the members would resist any attempt by the government to impose somebody on the assembly. He said by Act 462, the assembly was independent in taking its decisions, as well as implementing its own bye-laws.

In a related development, the assembly members, by a unanimous decision, passed a resolution to declare that it could no longer work with Mr. Gabriel Dery, Municipal Coordinating Director.

The assembly said on three consecutive occasions Mr. Dery had failed to attend assembly meetings and carryout his job as secretary to the assembly. – GNA