One of the candidates contesting for the Presiding Member position of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA), Abraham Boadi, aka Opoman, says although he is upbeat about his chances of winning the race, there are some elements at the assembly who have vowed to stop him.
Those elements, he noted, are members of the assembly who were appointed by the government.
He believes these government appointees have strong ties with the immediate past Chief Executive of the KMA, Kojo Bonsu, who he believes, is behind the machinations against his candidature.
Opoman was a strong critic of Kojo Bonsu during his days at the assembly.
The KMA has in recent times been the center of controversy due to the Assembly’s failure to elect a Presiding Member.
The Assembly has, on six consecutive times, gone to the polls with the recent one held on Tuesday, October 4, 2016, but none of the candidates was able to garner the required two-thirds majority votes to secure the position.
Opoman and Michael Adusei Bonsu are currently competing for the position after four candidates stepped down for the duo.
In the Tuesday’s election, Opoman polled 69 votes while Adusei Bonsu garnered 50 with one rejected ballot.
But none of them garnered the required two-thirds of the ballot to secure the Presiding Member position.
Opoman interacting with sit-host of Anopa Kasapa, Kwaku Owusu Adjei, on Kasapa 102.5 FM on Wednesday over Tuesday’s polls said happenings at the Assembly demonstrate how it places premium on due process.
“We are all exercising our constitutional rights. Our constitution which governs our local assemblies states that in electing a PM, that candidate must get two-thirds majority of the total membership. We have gone two times ever since the four candidates stepped down and I led in those polls. The first one I polled 65 votes as against 59 obtained by my opponent. On Tuesday too, I polled 69 as against 50. So, we are going through the process but at the moment there are some consultations going on and I believe in the next election, a PM would be elected”, explained.
Although he is optimistic about his chances, he told Owusu Adjei that some government appointees at the Assembly are working against his candidature.
“After Tuesday’s election, some government appointees approached me and told me to hold a press conference and inform the journalists that most of the things that I said about the immediate past Chief Executive of the KMA, Kojo Bonsu, were mere political talk and that they were not true. If I am able to do that they will vote for me. But I asked them why do they want me to compromise the wrong doing of Kojo Bonsu? Do I love Kumasi, Ghana or Asanteman?”
“I don’t want to mention names but when we get to the bridge, we shall cross it. Sammy Gyamfi, a spokesperson for Kojo Bonsu and a government appointee told me that even though I have won and I am very competent to do the job, they will not let me be the PM. So, what he said tells you a lot.”
“Another information that came in is that Opoman will not be allowed to occupy that position because I am one of the architects who masterminded the exit of Kojo Bonsu and also ensured that Yamoah Ponkoh was not confirmed MCE for Ejisu and so we will not allow him to be in that position.”
