I didn’t bribe anybody to reject DCE nominee – MP

Member of Parliament (MP) for Ada East Constituency, Mrs Comfort Doyoe Cudjoe Ghansah, has denied allegation that she influenced assembly members to reject a District Chief Executive (DCE) nominee on three occasions.

The MP, who is also a Minister of State at the Presidency in charge of Social Intervention and Child Protection, said rumours that she bribed some of the assembly members to vote against the President’s nominee were false.

Mrs Ghansah said: “I didn’t pay anything, not even GH¢1, to any assembly member to vote against Adu Tei. I didn’t bribe anybody in this assembly to retrogress the development of our district.”

The MP said this when she took her turn to clear her name at an emergency meeting summonsed by the chiefs of the Ada State to talk to the assembly members and the MP to bury their differences in order to allow the area get a DCE to steer the affairs of the district.

All 37 assembly members, including the government appointees, the Presiding Member (PM), the District Co-ordinating Director and other civil servants, attended the meeting.

It is believed that the Ada East District Assembly is divided into three different groups, each supporting the interest of particular people, and the MP is alleged to be behind one of the groups.

The group the MP is alleged to be behind and another faction were accused of voting against the DCE nominee.

Nene Professor Abanam Akpanglo II, President of the Ga-Dangme Council, and Nene Tsatsu Pediator IV, the Asafoatse Ngua of the Kudzragbe Clan of Ada, both said the action of the assembly members was retarding the progress and development of the Ada East District.

Nene Prof. Akpanglo II said: “We have projects in the district halted because you have been unable to give us a DCE and so the government cannot give us money to develop. Look at the sea taking a severe toll on us. Ada State belongs to all of us so put your differences behind and be ready to give any DCE nominee your votes so that the Ada State can march forward in the right direction.”

After hours of counter-blames and heated arguments among the assembly members, calm was finally restored, with the assembly members assuring the chiefs to vote massively for any candidate the President nominates.