POLITICS

Ex-assembly members to receive over ¢67k in ex-gratia next week

Former assembly members of the Kwahu Afram Plains North District Assembly will next week be paid their ex-gratia totalling over 67,000 cedis.

Each of the 31 elected members who served between October 2015 and October 2019 will receive 1,500 cedis while the 28 government appointees who also served for the last two years are will walk home 750 cedis each.

The 59 members, of which 15 of them retained their seats in the last district level election, had planned to picket at the Assembly on January 23 to prevent the new newly constituted assembly from being inaugurated.

The 15 had resolved to boycott the election of a presiding member for the assembly.

But ahead of the inauguration of the assembly Thursday, the former presiding member, Ms. Kate Mawusi of the Okai Zongo electoral area impressed on her colleagues to back down on their intended action as she worked to get the monies paid.

Our correspondent Yvonne Neequaye reported that it took the intervention of Ms Mawusi who retained her seat and seeking to become the presiding member of the assembly, to calm the tensed atmosphere created by the ex-assembly members.

She reported that Ms Mawusi assured the ex-members that she was working with the assembly to get them paid by next week, an assurance they took in good faith, and allowed the new assembly to be inaugurated.

Meanwhile, the Assembly failed to elect a presideing member after two rounds of voting.

At the end of the first round, the two contenders, Ms Mawusi and Nana Opoku Tutu, a government appointee, garnered 17 and 29 respectively, less the two-thirds of total votes required.

Ms Mawusi in the second round polled 18 while Nana Tutu secured 28.

A third round of election is expected in the next 10 days.

Failed deadlines

One of the old assembly members, Tetteh Fredrick Quodzo, told 3news.com Wednesday night that the assembly have failed to comply with agreed timelines for the payment of the ex-gratia.

“We have engaged Management but they failed to fulfil their promise” he said.

According to him, they met with management of the Assembly on January 8 this year at which it was agreed for the money to be paid in instalment. The assembly was to pay the first instalment of 1,000 cedis to each elected member and 500 cedis in six months’ time.

They however failed, he said.

He questioned why a new assembly should be inaugurated when old members have not been paid their end of service benefits.

“Our people [referring to the 15 who retained their seats] will pull out from the election of a presiding member tomorrow and that will mean it cannot go on because there will not be quorum” he told 3news.com

 

Source: 3news.com

Ogyem Solomon

Solomon Ogyem – Media Entrepreneur | Journalist | Brand Ambassador Solomon Ogyem is a dynamic Ghanaian journalist and media entrepreneur currently based in South Africa. With a solid foundation in journalism, Solomon is a graduate of the OTEC School of Journalism and Communication Studies in Ghana and Oxbridge Academy in South Africa. He began his career as a reporter at OTEC 102.9 MHz in Kumasi, where he honed his skills in news reporting, community storytelling, and radio broadcasting. His passion for storytelling and dedication to the media industry led him to establish Press MltiMedia Company in South Africa—a growing platform committed to authentic African narratives and multimedia journalism. Solomon is the founder and owner of Thepressradio.com, a news portal focused on delivering credible, timely, and engaging stories across Ghana and Africa. He also owns Press Global Tickets, a service-driven venture in the travel and logistics space, providing reliable ticketing services. He previously owned two notable websites—Ghanaweb.mobi and ShowbizAfrica.net—both of which contributed to entertainment and socio-political discussions within Ghana’s digital space. With a diverse background in media, digital journalism, and business, Solomon Ogyem is dedicated to telling impactful African stories, empowering youth through media, and building cross-continental media partnerships.

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