Tong-Rana Appeals To Assemblies To Refrain From Partisanship In Presiding Members’ Elections
The Paramount Chief of the Talensi Traditional Area and an elected member of the Council of State representing the Upper East Region, Tong-Rana Kubilsong Nalebgetang has expressed his disappointment in the inability of many assemblies in the Upper East Region to elect presiding members for respective assemblies.
Following the official inauguration of the assemblies on February 12, 2024, the assembly members of the various assemblies were expected to immediately elect presiding members, an act majority of the assemblies in the region have failed to successfully execute.
Reports reaching Ghnewsnow indicates that so far, the Bawku West District is the only assembly in the region to have successfully elected a presiding member.
All others, attempted to no avail on the first day and are expected to reconvene in a few days to make another attempt.
The election is said to have been politicized with the various assembly members taking entrenched and rigid positions.
Understanding the role of the Assembly Member affects the assemblies in the District Performance Assessment Tool (DPAT), the member of the Council of State is calling on the assembly members to consider the development of their respective communities and desist from politicizing the exercise.
He hopes that they will reconsider their stance and elect presiding members.
“I have been reliably informed that after the successful inauguration of most of the assemblies in this our region, they were unable to elect the Presiding Members and that’s very very worrying. As an elected member of the Council of State representing the region, I see it as a duty to call on all the assemblies to appeal to them to do their best and elect Presiding Members,” he emphasized.
“After all, Presiding Members do not hold any executive powers. They are to assist the assemblies to operate and run as a body and it’s normal, I therefore don’t think we should look at it along partisan lines” he added.
