TMA revokes Carlos’ suspension

Barely two days after the Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA) had slapped the Member of Parliament (MP) for Tema West, Carlos Kingsley Ahenkorah, with a six-month suspension, it (assembly) has revoked the decision and begged the MP for it.

Members of the assembly lifted the suspension upon an appeal made by the Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE), Felix Mensah Nii Annang-La, through the Public Relations and Complaints Committee (PRCC) to review the decision.

The lifting of the suspension was done by general consensus, as the assembly members sympathised with the MP, who doubles as Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry.

Just as the suspension was handed in the absence of the deputy minister, the assembly again rescinded its decision in his absence.

At an emergency General Assembly meeting last Wednesday, TMA took a hasty decision to suspend Mr Ahenkorah after the MCE had lodged a formal complaint to the PRCC of the assembly chaired by the Presiding Member, Richard Fiadomor.

The committee’s decision to penalize Carlos Ahenkorah followed the MP’s alleged misconduct, which breaches the Local Government Act 2016 (Act 936).

Mr Ahenkorah was said to have obstructed the work of the assembly and attempted to physically assault the Work Engineer of the assembly, Maxwell Adu Boateng, who was supervising the demolition of unauthorized structures at Cocoa Village in Community 2, Tema – in the constituency of the MP.

The unauthorized structures, mostly metal containers, were built around the fence wall of the Cocoa Village and they were said to be posing security threat to occupants of the village and so the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) asked the assembly to demolish the structures, which were on government land.

It was during the exercise that Mr Ahenkorh, who got wind of it, stormed the site and allegedly attacked the TMA taskforce made up of Navy officers, police personnel and City Guards of the assembly.

Mr. Ahenkorah was purported to have prevented the taskforce from performing its legitimate duty.

Addressing the house during the revocation of the suspension, the MP for Tema Central Constituency, Kofi Brako, assured the assembly that the MPs in the metropolis would not stand in the way of the assemblies in carrying out their legitimate duties; but they should communicate such exercises to them (MPs) beforehand.

He entreated the assembly to deal with people (from the assembly) behind the mounting of the containers rather than demolishing them.