Embattled Chief Executive for Ejisu-Juaben Municipal Assembly, Yamoah Afrifa Ponkoh, has dismissed claims that his continuous rejection by the Assembly members as MCE for the area is as a result of non-performance.
Ponkoh, who has twice been rejected by the decision makers of the Assembly told Accra-based Okay FM, Wednesday, that his woes were masterminded by the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, aka, Wontumi.
He said he has no qualms with the Assembly members because in his view, they were working under the instructions of Wontumi.
The former MCE further told radio station that ever since he was renominated for the position, Wontumi has been holding series of meetings in Ejisu-Juaben to ensure that he (Ponkoh) is rejected.
“For the first time the election was very peaceful. I nearly won. I only needed eight (8) people to have won the position. However, the person behind all my woes is Bernard Antwi Boasiko. When the President re-nominated me, Wontumi has been holding 10 meetings in Ejisu just to cause my defeat”.
“The District Assembly concept is non-partisan but that is not true. What is even worse is that the whole thing has now turned into NDC-NPP affair”.
“Elected Assembly members in Ejisu Municipal Assembly are 47. However, I can confidently tell you that 41 of them are NPP sympathizers. So, at this time, even if you are an angel the President nominates you for the MCE position, they will vote against you”, he noted.
On Tuesday, April 12, 2016, Ponkoh failed a second time to garner the required votes to take up the position.
The former MCE polled 38 votes out of a total of 68 valid votes cast. He needed at least 46 votes to secure the position.
He was rejected by the assembly members in the first election last December and now has the last chance (in ten days) to impress upon them to vote him into office as the Local Government Act permits three trials for the position.
Yamoah Ponkoh in the first election managed to poll 25 votes in his favour but that was not enough for him to pull through.
There was wild jubilation in Ejisu when news broke that the assembly had rejected the president’s nominee.
