Director of Communications at the Presidency, Eugene Arhin
The Acting Director of Communications at the Presidency, Eugene Arhin, has stated that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is not under pressure with regard to the appointment of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Executives, as being speculated by sections of the public.
He said this yesterday when he addressed members of the Presidential Press Corps, as part of the weekly press briefing.
“All of us who know, and have had the opportunity of working with President Akufo-Addo, will know that he is not someone you can put pressure on to do your bidding. At the end of the day, whatever he does, he does it, first and foremost, with respect to mother Ghana, and secondly his own belief in the capacity and ability of the person to hold that particular office. So, you can’t put pressure on the President to do your bidding,” he said.
He also explained that there is no vacuum at the MMDA level since the incumbents have been asked to stay in office.
Suit
The Member of Parliament for South Dayi, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, has sued the Attorney-General for the continuous stay in office of MMDCEs whose tenures of office have expired and are there in acting capacities.
It is the case of the South Dayi MP that upon the true and proper interpretation of Articles 243(1) and 243(2) of the 1991 Constitution, the President has no power or authority to instruct the Chief Executives to remain in office.
But Mr Arhin said the government has no problem with citizens exercising their rights to seek interpretation from the law courts.
He disclosed that the final report by the committee that undertook the final vetting of the would-be MMDCEs, chaired by the Local Government and Rural Development Minister, Dan Botwe, is with the President now and he is doing the right thing by taking a careful look at the report.
“It is not a simple matter as someone might think. He is selecting his representatives at the District, Municipal and Metropolitan levels, so careful consideration has to be taken with respect to who becomes a DCE or MCE. So, all I can say is, soon, the list will come out. Immediately the President settles on his nominees for the various MMDCE levels, he will announce it,” he said.
