Bawku Municipal Assembly again fails to elect a Presiding Member

The Bawku Municipal Assembly in the Upper East Region on Thursday failed for the third time to elect its Presiding Member (PM) as the two candidates vying for the position could not secure the two-third majority of the votes required in the house.

Mr David Adoliba, the incumbent polled 12 votes representing 40 percent while Mr Bashiru Yakubu Salifu secured 15 votes, representing 50 percent at the first round.

Mr Adoliba again secured 10 votes representing 33 percent while Mr Salifu pulled 17 votes representing 56 percent votes at the second round giving none of them the nod to lead the house.

This voting comes to three the number of times the Bawku Assembly with 29 members failed to elect a PM to steer the affairs of the house.

The absence of a PM in the deliberation of development matters at the Assembly, could slow down the decision making process as the Assembly could not take and implement major decisions.

Hajia Hawa Ninchemah, Municipal Chief Executive of the area, expressed disappointment at the inability of the Assembly to elect a PM to lead the house and told the house to come to some compromises in order to elect the PM, adding that such entrenched positions should not be encouraged because it had the potential to retard development in the area.

She said the PM was the voice of the Assembly members at the general assembly meetings and chaired the public relations and complaints committee of the assembly, adding that the vacancy affected the smooth administration of the Assembly.

She charged the Assembly members to take pride in getting a member elected so that it would motivate members to work well to raise the status of the assembly for the development of the area, and said the assembly members would only take their work serious when they have a leader to lead them.