Ajumako Enyan Essiam District Assembly Fails To Dissolve Due To Court Injunction

An attempt by Assembly Members of the Ajumako Enyan Essiam District to pass vote of no confidence in the District Chief Executive, Rev. Ransford Kwesi Nyarko has been foiled by a court injunction filed by a member of the Assembly, Mr. Lovelace Kwantwe Agyeman.

The Ajumako Enyan Essiam District Assembly was expected today to dissolve the assembly to make way for the election of new assembly members this year.

At an assembly sitting today, the Presiding Member, Hon. Evans K. Abban drew the attention of members to the court injunction served on the assembly for which reason the sitting will have to be suspended.

The court injunction states, “Please take notice that this Honorable Court shall be moved by the plaintiff herein praying for an order of interlocutory injunction retraining the defendant, workmen, agents, the assigns, privies and all those claiming through the Defendant from holding or commencing the Ordinary Meeting of the Assembly pending the determination of the instant suit in terms of the affidavit and other document hereinafter attached.

They were rumors after the NPP primaries on the 4^th September, 2019 that some assembly members from the opposition were bracing themselves up for such an exercise, but due to their number they were making effort to get at least 7 members more from the side of the ruling government to enable them get the two thirds majority to carry it through.

Their decision for such an exercise according to investigations was as a result of the bad blood between the DCE and some of his party members coupled with the fact that the District Chief Executive has failed to sign financial support application made to the MP’s common fund, which has been duly endorsed by the MP, over three months, to cater for the medical expenses of a young boy who was in critical condition.

According to available information, the District Chief Executive realized he has lost the support of the assembly and a section of his party members which become evident in the voting pattern on 4^th September primaries, where he managed 232 votes against 411 votes of Dr. Rashid Kwesi Etuaful.

This information prompted the District Chief Executive and his team to take solace in the court system by putting injunction on the sitting.

The plaintiff, Mr. Lovelace Kwantwe Agyeman who is a government appointee of the assembly in his injunction maintained that he was not served with an invitation letter for the sitting, and that he got to know of it through a colleague assembly member, citing part 2, paragraph 4 of the standing orders of the assembly, which indicate that a member should be given a prior14 days notice of an Ordinary Meeting to solidify his action.

However, some members expressed regret at the turn of events, saying this was their last meeting which was to give them the opportunity to determine the ex-gratia of the 7^th Assembly, discuss and approve 2020 Annual Action Plan, discuss and approve 2020 Fee-Fixing Resolution, and discuss and approve Composite Budgetary Estimate.

Additionally, the assembly was also to have discussed challenges with Revenue Collection in the district, the dissolution of the 7^th Assembly etc.

Some maintained, this unfortunate situation is a worry to the assembly, government and the members themselves.

They said that there is no guarantee that the vote of no confidence would have hold, because it was not part of the agenda for the meeting, neither was the Electoral Commission aware of such a thing for him to be even present.

They cautioned that they would take management of the assembly on should any project or budget be captured by the finance minister in his 2020 budget reading because they have not approved any 2020 budget for Ajumako District.

Raymond Kwofie
(Ajumako)