Assembly members in the Ketu South Municipality of the Volta region on Friday October 29, failed to elect into office a new Presiding Member (PM), following the removal from office of the former presiding member Hon. Petite Wisdom Haligah. The Municipal Assembly is currently without a PM. Before the confirmation of the new Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Maxwell Lugudor, into office the appointments of all government appointees were revoked and this affected the office of the presiding member in the Ketu South. These happenings necessitated the election of a new PM to replace former PM Halligah.
Four members from the Honorable house, namely Mawufemor Folivi, Gakli Ababio Collins, Edward Gbeti and Prosper Atokloe picked up nomination forms to contest. Per the Local Government Act the winner needs to attain two thirds majority of the total number of Assembly members. Ketu South Assembly has 59 members including the MCE and the Member of Parliament. All the nominees however failed to obtain the required two-third votes of 40 out of the 59 members.
At the first voting Mawufemor Folivi and Prosper Atokloe were kicked out after polling 4 and 11 votes respectively while Edward Gbeti and Collins Ababio Gakli made an alliance to go into the second round of voting. The two members, Collins Ababio Gakli and Edward Gbeti again failed to secure the required 40 votes as they got only 21 votes, 25 votes respectively.
In an interview with the two Assembly men, they both said that they will keep their faith and hope for the better on the re-scheduled date for the re-elections within the stipulated 10 working days.
The Coordinating Director for the Ketu South Municipality, Isifu Ibrahim, says he will work hard to keep the business of the house running even if the members of the Assembly fail to elect into office, the presiding member for couple of months left to end the year.
By Hebrews Pouyeli Kumako
