Pressure groups ‘set fire’ on Western Regional Minister Designate

Two political pressure groups – Good Governance Advocacy Group, Ghana (GGAGG), and Communal Labour Forum (CLF) have Petitioned the Appointments Committee of Parliament to reject the nomination of Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah as the Western Regional Minister Designate due to his alleged mismanagement of the region as the immediate immediate past Regional Minister.

According to the groups, the Mr Darko who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) for Takoradi, by his alleged deeds, does not qualify for the position of a Minister of State.

The groups alleged the nominee has been interfering in chieftaincy institution matters in the region, using militarization, especially during the 2020 general election and other hooliganism acts to intimidate citizens in the region who do not succumb to his whips and caprices.

They further accused him of imposing one Benjamin Kesse on the people as Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for the Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipal Assembly without rhyme or reason and with much impunity.

At a press conference in Accra, leader of the Communal Labour Forum, Baah Acheamfour stated that, the MP for Takoradi, adopted the use of brute force using the Western Regional Police Command to prevent some 22 Elected Assembly Members from entering the Assembly Hall to participate in the confirmation of the MCE, Benjamin Kesse as demanded by law.

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They indicated that, Hon. Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah knowing so well that the laws governing the confirmation of the MCE allow for only the Presiding member of the Assembly to convene the meeting and that the presiding member was not ready to allow the ill-fated action to go on, cruelly kidnapped the Presiding member.

“The former Regional Minister hurriedly, in a period less than an hour, swore in the illegally confirmed MCE after the outcome of the wrongful voting was declared by the Electoral Commission (EC). We find this an affront to Ghana’s democracy since the process of swearing into office as an MCE is the sole preserve of the Judiciary and should have been done by a Judge of the circuit court in the municipality. The lawless action of the Regional Minister to swear in the MCE was in complete breach of Part 15 (4) of the Model Standing Orders for MMDAs, which specifically states that ‘In the event of the nominee polling two-thirds or more of the votes of members of the Assembly present and voting, the Electoral Commission shall notify the President of the approval of the Assembly within seven days”.

On chieftaincy issues, the groups raised concerns that, the Takoradi MP and the former Western Regional Minister, Okyere Darko-Mensah has connived with the MP for Tarkwa Nsuaem, Mireku Duker to unlawfully take over chieftaincy title from the original clan, the Nyowah family. They added that, the court and the traditional council has ruled on behalf of the recognized chief, Nana Nyowah Panyin IV but Okyere Darko-Mensah, Mireku Duker and the MCE have refused to back off.

Source: expressnewsghana