Fresh opposition against Micheal Awuku as MCE

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo may have to tread with caution and seek broader consultations if he has plans of re-nominating Michael Amoah Awuku as Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for the Atwima Nwabiagya South Municipality in the Ashanti Region.

Though it seems from the surface that the MCE has the goodwill and support of the majority of relevant stakeholders, there is an equal or even higher level of widespread agitations against any plans to retain him as MCE.

In politics, there is the fear of ‘god’ fathers and leaders in positions of influence therefore it is not surprising that some constituency executive members have claimed that they were compelled under duress to sign a recent petition which endorsed the retention of Mr. Michael Amoah Awuku as MCE

Some residents last week were up in arms against national and regional executives who were said to be muting the idea of retaining him compelling them to hit the streets in protest.

In a petition to the President on why Michael Amoah Awuku must not continue as MCE, the aggrieved residents indicated that his presence caused a huge party disunity which led to the MP obtaining little over 46,000 votes while the president had over 58,000 votes an indication of more than 20% difference.

Armed police and military personnel were later unleashed on the streets to disperse the demonstrators who insisted the current MCE is incompetent, disrespectful to traditional authorities and not fit to be given a second term after his tenure elapsed on January 7, 2021.

In view of the raging confusion amidst what appears to be acts of intimidation on key stakeholders opposed to his re-nomination as MCE, some of the constituency executives have revealed that they were compelled to sign a petition to the President through the Regional Minister, Simon Osei-Mensah.

The petition said: “The entire New Patriotic Party Executive body of the of Atwima Nwabiagya South Constituency wish to recommend to His Excellency the President to reappoint Honourable Michael Amoah Awuku as the Municipal Chief Executive of the Atwima Nwabiagya Municipal Assembly."

"The selfless roles played by Honourable Michael Amoah Awuku in the previous and just ended 2020 general elections which brought victory to the party can never be overlooked. This has made the constituency one of the fertile grounds and stronghold for the NPP. Honourable Awuku worked tirelessly as the campaign manager with the Member of Parliament and constituency executives to ensure that the seat remained with the New Patriotic Party”.

A number of the executives who spoke on grounds of strict anonymity revealed that they only endorsed a second term for the MCE in the two-page petition which chronicles his attributes under duress.

Many of them have questioned why the issue summoning executives to sign a petition in support of the second term bid of an MCE could be classified as an emergency made less than four hours to the meeting in violation of the party’s constitution.