There was no presiding member elected by the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly, despite two fiercely contested rounds of voting.
After the three Members of Parliament in the Metropolis and the 54 assembly members were sworn in with great success, none of the two candidates running for assembly leader received the two-thirds majority of votes cast by the assembly’s voting members.
In the initial voting round, Patrick Brempoh of the Adiembra Electoral Area received 22 votes, while Napoleon Agyeman of Kojokrom received 31.
Despite prior urging for assembly members to coalesce behind one of the two contenders in order to secure a rapid election of a leader so that the assembly’s business could begin, the second round of voting failed to elect a leader as well. Candidate Patrick Brempoh dropped his previous 22 votes to 20, while Napoleon Agyeman increased his votes from 31 to 33, but still fell short of the requisite 38 two-thirds majority votes.
As a result, the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly has postponed the election of the Presiding Member for the next 10 days in accordance with the Local Assembly requirement.
Speaking at the ceremony, the Mayor of Sekondi-Takoradi, Abdul Mumin Isaah, urged the 54 assembly members to rapidly find an agreement on who should govern the metropolis.
“The mission of STMA is to improve the living conditions of the Metropolis through the provision of sustainable socio-economic development and good governance that is responsive to the needs of the people. STMA envisages an environment where its people actualize their dreams of internationally accepted standards of living.
As such, in the 9th Assembly of the STMA, I expect consensus in our decisions as a House, as this offers us the opportunity to serve your communities and help enhance our image, as a Metropolis. This would promote unity of purpose and encourage all to work hard towards the achievement of our collective objectives, as an assembly,” he said.
Abdul Mumin Issah also discussed efforts to increase the capacity of newly sworn-in assembly members through the European Union-funded Twin-Cities In Sustainable Partnership Project.
The administration is committed to building your capacities and equipping you with necessary local government skills to enable you to perform your duties efficiently and effectively. Consequently, an intensive orientation and training programme has been scheduled for all Members from 20th to 23rd February 2024. The training forms part of activities being executed under the TCSPP to enhance the capacity of city officials and other stakeholders in inclusive urban governance strategies and managing urban space judiciously. Some of the topics to be treated include critical roles and responsibilities of Assembly Members in their communities, revenue mobilization, fixing rates and fees for ratepayers, budgeting for social amenities, and approving development permits,” he added.
