134 former MMDCEs demand payment of benefits, threaten to boycott NPP campaign

A group of former Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) have issued an ultimatum to the government, demanding the payment of their end-of-service benefits, which have been pending for three years.

The group, which consists of 134 MMDCEs who were relieved of their duties following President Akufo-Addo's 2021 reshuffle, insists that their appointment letters guaranteed them a three-month consolidated salary and an installation grant as part of their severance package.

The spokesperson for the aggrieved former MMDCEs, Leo-Nelson Adzidogah, who previously served as the MCE for Akatsi South, voiced the collective frustration, stating that the outstanding amounts exceed GH₵100,000 per individual.

“We are going to take 3 years but that one is because we left office in 2021 October, so it will not fully be three months. Then the installation grant also, will not be fully paid.

"... I believe in addition to the arrears, we will take a little over 100,000 cedis. Then they will take taxes. That is why I am saying I cannot give accurate figures on hand. But if you put them together, it will be over 100,000,” he is quoted in a report by www.myjoyonline.com.

He emphasised that despite their repeated petitions, the government has not addressed their grievances.

Adzidogah warns that the delay in disbursing these funds could have dire consequences for the ruling New Patriotic Party’s (NPP’s) campaign efforts, as the former MMDCEs lack the financial resources to participate actively.

He expressed the sentiment that without the payment of their dues, many former MMDCEs are not inclined to support the 2024 campaign.

“I see that most of the former MMDCES who have been relieved of their posts are aggrieved and bitter. The only thing for us is to take our money so they bring us back to the mainstream.

"That is what I am crying for. But I know without this, most of us are not going to support the campaign. But what we want is that when we go to places we are not going to depend on them for fuel to move our cars. Give this to us so that we can also follow the campaign team wherever they go, so we can also contribute to the campaign effort. That is what we want.

“Maybe any DCE who wants to go will say I am now going to disgrace myself because when I go there, I don’t have money for fuel, so I have to depend on this.

"That discretion will force most of them to sit back. That is why I am saying that let this be paid to us so that we can join this campaign. This is our argument,” he said.

GA/SARA

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