Who becomes the next MCE in Amenfi West Municipal Assembly

In Ghana, the appointment of the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) is vested in the powers of the President.

The president, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, was re-elected during the 2020 general elections giving him another constitutional mandate to appoint Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) to various Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs).

The process leading to the appointment of the MMDCEs began in May 2021 where a Regional Vetting Committee was set up to vet all applicants from the various MMDAs within each region. After the regional vetting, some of the applicants were shortlisted in each of the MMDAs for further vetting at the national level, precisely at the Jubilee House, the seat of the presidency.

The vetting of the shortlisted applicants from the various MMDAs also took place in June 2021. The National Vetting Committee, according to sources, is yet to submit its report to the President to act on and appoint the preferred MMDCEs.

However, in some MMDAs, some of the applicants are showing themselves up as the “Incoming MMDCEs”.

One of such MMDAs is the Amenfi West Municipality.

Immediately after the national vetting, information gathered is that one of the shortlisted applicants, Lord Nana Tandoh, began showing himself up as the next MCE for the area. He has called some of the Assembly members and informed them to prepare for his endorsement because he is going to be the obvious choice of the President.

Investigation has also revealed that he has also visited the MD of a timber firm in the municipality to introduce himself as the next MCE for Amenfi West. He has started organizing meetings with some party members in some of the communities.

In Asankrangwa, the municipal capital, the news is that Lord Nana Tandoh is the new MCE.

Information gathered is that the said Lord Nana Tandoh is going around telling people that his source of power and protocol comes from the Presidency and the members of the vetting committee at the Jubilee House.

According to some residents in Asankrangwa, Lord Nana Tandoh is alleged to be telling people that he has “settled” all the vetting committee members.

He is also alleged to be telling people that the 2020 parliamentary candidate for NPP in the Amenfi West is a close ally of the President and has submitted his (Lord) name to the President suggesting that his name has been on the President’s protocol list even before the vetting process began in May.

These revelations have created tension among party members within the municipality with some saying that if the members of the Vetting Committee at the Jubilee House could really be “settled” in whichever form, then the country is not safe.

They have called on the President to look critically at the report of the vetting committee and institute investigation when in doubt with part of the report. This to make his appointment of the MMDCEs more ‘credible’.

Some of the party members have however discounted the claims of the ‘settle’ but still want the president to take a critical look at the said allegations.