The Ketu South Municipal Assembly has failed to elect a Presiding Member (PM) after three voting attempts.
The aspirants, Mr Wilfred Dakunya and Mr Moses Xorve Kordorwu, Assembly members for Akame and Lotakor Electoral Areas respectively could not secure the two-thirds majority votes required to become a winner.
Out of the total 58 ballots cast on Wednesday, February 21, Mr Dakunya polled 22 while Mr Kordorwu polled 30 with six ballots recorded as rejected while a rerun produced similar result but with five rejected ballots.
The Assembly during its ninth inaugural meeting Monday, February 12 adjourned the PM election after just one failed voting attempt which result was 26 votes for Mr Dakunya, 27 for Mr Kordorwu and five rejected votes.
The Assembly members while calling for adjournment, argued that they were tired and that a rerun on the day might not produce a different result, thus, the need to give the candidates enough time for consultation to avoid a repeat of the experience from the very recent PM election which ran into several voting attempts.
The Municipal Assembly only succeeded in electing a PM in April 2022 after six consecutive attempts since its then PM, Mr Wisdom Samuel Doe Haligah (Petit), a government appointee, had his appointment revoked on October 07, 2021.
Mr Kofi Sakyi Boampong, the Municipal Electoral Commission (EC) Officer in an interview with Ghana News Agency (GNA) said the two aspirants had exhausted their right to contest and so, fresh nominations would open.
He said with the exhaustion of the first search process, the next meeting of the Assembly to elect its PM was not time-bound assuring that the EC would be ready to help with the process when notified.
Mr Dakunya, one of the contestants expressed his disappointment to GNA saying, the election outcome was because of entrenched political positions and hoped the search for a PM for the ninth Assembly would not prolong.
The Assembly though non-partisan, has its members wear political colours outside with the two failed PM aspirants, Mr Dakunya and Mr Kordorwu believed to be members of the ruling New Patriotic Party and the opposition National Democratic Congress, respectively.
GNA
MA/KOA/AD
February 22, 2024
Pic attached
