Don’t blame Muntaka for MCE nominee’s rejection - Dodovi

A member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) communications team in the Ashanti region, Francis Dodovi has come to the defense of the minority chief whip Alhaji Muntaka Mohammed Mubarak over claims that he orchestrated the rejection of the president’s as MCE nominee for Asokore-Mampong Municipal Assembly.

“How can people even think that way at all? Does he have control over the assemblymen in the area or he owns the assembly”, he asked.

The former Spokesperson for the Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council and past government appointee of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) rather wants the blame to be heaped on the Ashanti Regional Minister Simon Osei-Mensah he said failed in his duties.

“As it is always the practice, he was expected to have allowed the security agencies like the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) do some survey in the area to see if the grounds were fertile for the confirmation of the nominee or otherwise. I am sure this was not done and three days after he was named you rushed into calling for his confirmation when it backfires you want Muntaka to be hanged. How does he come in here”, he quizzed.

He disclosed that the inefficiency and ineffectiveness of the regional minister is solely to blame and if care is not taken and a different approach adopted in confirming the rest of the nominees in the region, he fears there would be heartbreaks.

Assembly members of Asokore Mampong Municipal Assembly last Friday rejected the President’s nominee for the position for Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) Alhaji Alidu Seidu

The Member of Parliament (MP) for Asawase Constituency Mohammed Muntanka Mubarak was said to have lured members on his side to reject his strongest contender in the 2016 parliamentary race after he gave him a run for his money in seeking for re-election.

Alhaji Alidu Seidu nominated by President Akufo-Addo failed to get endorsement of the Assembly members in an election supervised by the Electoral Commission despite earlier assurances from the members.

Out of the fifteen assembly members who voted, the nominee had seven votes representing 46.7 per cent and eight voted NO”, the Municipal Electoral Chair announced.

Alhaji Alidu Seidu was the New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary candidate for the Asawase Constituency in the Kumasi metropolis and nearly won the seat from the incumbent MP.

NDC’s Mohammed Muntanka Mubarak garnered 39,095 of the popular votes cast as against NPP’s Alidu Seidu 33,940.