Six vie for Sekondi MCE slot

THE STAGE is set in Sekondi-Takoradi, the fourth most densely populated Metropolitan area in the country to select a Mayor to steer its affairs. The current Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE), Mr. Philip Kwesi Nkrumah is still at post, but he would eventually have to leave the scene since he is not a member of the party that is in government.

Already, six people have been vetted by the Regional executives of the party, led by the introvert chairman, Dr. Frank Abu and Col. Kaku Korsah (Rt.) the Regional Organizer of the party, among others. The six are Mr. Abbey-Hart, the NDC defeated parliamentary candidate for the Essikado Constituency in the last elections, who is also a relative of Mr. Kojo Smith, First Board chairman of Ahantaman Rural Bank, who is firmly rooted in the NDC and was picked as the first Western Regional Minister in 1992, when the country returned to constitutional rule. Analysts say his push can help the candidate.

Next to face the vetting committee was Ms Betty Bosomtwi-Sam, who is counting on the blessings of her brother, who was a Member of Parliament for Sekondi, the late Bosomtwi Sam, whose contribution and monumental legacies include the famous Bosomtwi Sam fishing Harbour for the people of Sekondi, which is still fresh in the minds of not only NDC members but discerning citizens of the colonial town. She had tried on two unsuccessful occasions to succeed her brother as MP for Sekondi.

The committee has also vetted another candidate, only known as Brown from Sekondi. Insiders describe him as a loyalist. Other names that have cropped up include that of Mr. Joseph Cobbinah Anan (Marlon) a Swiss scholar and native of New Takoradi, a defeated parliamentary candidate for Takoradi constituency in the last elections, Mr.Yusif Gyamson, the Shama District Director of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) who is also being considered for the position and had indeed been vetted.

However, one name that has sent shivers down the spines of the other five contenders is Mr. Alfred Gyan (Abort), 45, who has lived and worked in the Metropolis since he was born at Amanful, one of the communities in the Metropolis where he has his umbilical cord tied.

Described by many in the Metropolis as a unifier, Mr. Gyan had his tertiary education at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and holds a degree in Building Technology and Construction Management respectively.

Some contractors in the Metropolis have described Mr. Gyan, a Licensed member of the Chartered Institute of Administration and Management Consultant, as a gem.

Other loyal members of the NDC have described his contribution to the party as tremendous.

A close associate of Mr. Gyan, told this reporter that his thoughtfulness in contract administration, negotiation, settlement of disputes, project planning and implementation had aided development in the Metropolis, especially with his technical role played in the execution of projects by many of the best contractors in the Metropolis and in the region. “His contribution to the NDC is also obvious and his financial support to the youth in the region is well appreciated,” noted an NDC loyalist. “He was loyal to the party even when times were difficult,” one executive told this reporter.

Information obtained has confirmed that even the traditional rulers have indicated Mr. Gyan as their choice for the MCE position.

Most Assembly members of the current Assembly, according to reliable information have all had good relations with him and will therefore welcome his nomination by the President.

In an interview with this reporter, some of the Assembly Members, including Mr. John Davis, one of the longest serving Assembly member of STMA expressed utmost confidence in the leadership and management style of Mr. Gyan, and has endorsed his candidature.

Mr. Davis said STMA would need a quality material and a unifier for the development of the Assembly. “He is the most suitable and qualified person, but we are watching for the next action of the President” Mr. Davis pointed out, adding that although names such as Mr. Yusif Gyamson had been vetted, Gyan stood tall in terms of experience and managerial competency.

President John Evans Atta Mills has made it public that he would consult the traditional leadership of the local areas before nominating his candidates for the District, Municipal and Metropolitan Chief Executive positions.