Akuapem South Presiding Member election adjourned

Correspondence from the Eastern Region

The Akuapem South Municipal Assembly in the Eastern Region has failed to elect a Presiding Member after first round of elections held on Wednesday, May 20, 2026. with none of the two contestants securing the required two-thirds majority vote of the 40-member house.

The Assembly conducted a second round of voting to elect a Presiding Member after an earlier attempt ended inconclusively.

Member of Parliament for the area, Lawrencia Adwoa Dziwornu and the MCE, Paul Osae Offei were present.

Out of the 40 assembly members, 38 were present, while 37 cast their votes, as the Member of Parliament is an ex-officio member without voting rights.

The election, supervised by the Electoral Commission of Ghana at the Assembly Hall, saw Assembly Member for Obosono Electoral Area, Blessing Kojo Tretsu, poll 24 votes, while Assembly Member for Gyankama/Konkonoru Electoral Area, Michael Osae secured 11 votes. Two ballots were rejected.

Out of the total membership of the Assembly, a candidate required at least 27 votes — representing two-thirds of the 40-member house — to be declared winner. The exercise involved both elected Assembly Members and government appointees, in line with Ghana’s local governance structure.

Under Ghana’s local government system, the Presiding Member serves as the political head of the Assembly and chairs meetings of the General Assembly. The position is crucial to local governance and development planning, with the holder expected to work closely with the Municipal Chief Executive and Assembly Members to coordinate development initiatives.

Article 244 of Ghana’s 1992 Constitution requires that a Presiding Member be elected by at least two-thirds majority of members present and voting, a threshold that often makes such elections highly competitive in many district assemblies across the country.

Speaking after the inconclusive election, Michael Osae said he was not disappointed by the outcome despite expecting a stronger performance.

“As a politician, I am not disappointed. When you go into an election, you should expect everything — either you win or you lose,” he stated.

Osae, who described himself as one of the most experienced members of the Assembly, said his decision to contest was motivated by calls from colleagues who believed in his leadership abilities.

“This is my fourth term as an Assembly Member, and I have worked with several Municipal Chief Executives and Presiding Members over the years. The encouragement from members convinced me to put myself forward,” he said.

He outlined his vision for the municipality, stressing community engagement, sanitation improvement, and proactive local governance.

“We want Assembly Members to be more proactive, go into the communities, educate the people on the role of the Assembly, and champion sanitation activities through communal labour,” he noted.

Osae also indicated that he may contest again should another election be organised.

On his part, Blessing Kordzo Tretsu described the outcome as a reflection of the will of Assembly Members and expressed confidence in his longstanding relationship with colleagues.

“This is my third attempt. Previously, whenever I realised the numbers were not in my favour, I stepped down to allow the process to move on because I do not believe in unnecessary division,” he explained.

According to him, his motivation for seeking the office stems from his desire to help address poverty and improve development outcomes in deprived communities.

“I came into the Assembly because of the suffering of my people. I wanted to see how I could help alleviate poverty and bring Assembly Members together to pursue a common goal,” he said.

Tretsu, who identified himself as a technology-oriented leader, said he intends to introduce digital systems to improve workflow efficiency and reduce operational costs if elected.

He also stressed the need for unity among Assembly Members, insisting that partisan politics should not undermine development efforts in the municipality.

The election has subsequently been adjourned for 10 working days to allow for further consultations and the submission of fresh nominations.

The Akuapem South Municipal Assembly is expected to reconvene at a later date to continue the process and attempt to elect a Presiding Member to steer the affairs of the Assembly for the remainder of its term.

The Assembly is expected to hold another round of voting on a yet-to-be-announced date following the inconclusive election.