The growing tension in the Atwima Nwabiagya South Municipality in the Ashanti Region has heightened after some constituency executives revealed they were reportedly compelled to sign a petition endorsing for the retention of Michael Amoah Awuku as the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE).
Residents last week were up in arms against national and regional executives who were said to be initiators of the idea to retain him, compelling them to hit the streets in protest.
In a petition to the President arguing on why he must not continue, the aggrieved residents indicated that his presence caused a party disunity which led to the Member of Parliament (MP) obtaining little over 46,000 votes while 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 was 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 acts of intimidation on those who are opposed to his re-nomination as MCE, some executives revealed that they were compelled to sign a petition to the President through the Regional Minister Hon. Simon Osei-Mensah.
The petition which read in part that “The entire New Patriotic Party(NPP) Executive body of the 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 condition of strict anonymity revealed that they only endorsed a second term for the MCE in the two-page petition which chronicled 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, less than four hours to the meeting in violation of the party’s constitution.
