Tema West MP reacts to his dismissal by the Municipal Assembly

Accra, Jan 28, GNA - Mr Abraham Ossei Aidoo, Member of Parliament for Tema West, on Wednesday described as "speculative" the decision by the Tema Municipal Assembly (TMA) to revoke his membership. "I am expecting the Assembly to write to me officially before I react to their decision. For now the decision is merely speculative. They must use the normal means of communication to get me informed," he told the Ghana News Agency in an interview in Accra.

Mr Aidoo was reacting to media report that the TMA had dismissed him as a member for lack of interest in the business of the Assembly. The report, which was attributed to Nii Abotsi Dortey, Presiding Member of TMA, cited Mr Aidoo's failure to attend three separate meetings convened by the Public Complaints Committee of the Assembly to enable him to explain his consistent failure to attend meetings since 2001.

Mr Aidoo said: "As a Lawyer I must study the letter of my dismissal before I know the next line of action to take. For now this is my reaction."

Nii Dortey told the media on Tuesday: " The Assembly is only applying section 462 of the Local Government Act of 1993 to restrain the MP from coming to the Assembly."

The Act states that any person who fails to attend Ordinary Sessions of the Assembly for more than three consecutive times without written permission to the authorities shall cease to be a member. The Presiding Member said: " This is where the Assembly drew its power from. By the Act Mr Aidoo had sacked himself."

Nii Dortey said other MPs who are members of the Assembly always sought formal permission if they knew they could not attend meetings. He said if Mr Aidoo displayed a sense of remorse and offered reasons he would be recalled.