A section of the youth in Odododiodoo, one of three constituencies under the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) in the Greater Accra Region, protested on Saturday against the purported removal from office of the Mayor of Accra.
Mohammed Nii Adjei Sowah, according to reliable sources in the government, will be replaced by Elizabeth Sackey, a former deputy regional minister for Greater Accra.
The changeover in Accra figures large in the much-anticipated announcement of new metropolitan, municipal, and district chief executives, to be made on Sunday (19 September 2021).
Speaking to Asaase News, the protesting youth in Odododiodoo said Sowah is well known to them and has done a lot to merit reappointment.
“The Mayor was vetted and has been approved to continue but we’re seeing something different and it’s creating a problem for the grass roots,” one of the protesters told Asaase News’s Wilberforce Asare.
“We’re calling on the president that what the committee said, he should follow it. The woman in question doesn’t come from any of the constituencies under AMA,” the protester said.
Fit for the job
A press statement issued by the youth said in part: “The Accra Metropolitan Assembly arguably is a pulsating heart of the Greater Accra Region and, for that matter, it deserves a mastermind who can fix its daily conundrums, and deservedly, Mohammed Nii Adjei Sowah fits the bill perfectly …
“Our effusion about who becomes Mayor of Accra may be coming late in the day but it is important to note that whoever the appointing authority nominates is vested not only with a role carved by the Local Government Act that sets it up but also for the politics of it.
“Men say that a stitch in time saves nine, and so we need to take a thousand stitches today to save nine tomorrow.
“We have resolved in our thinking and humbly opine that Mohammed Nii Adjei Sowah, the current Mayor of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly, would best fit the portfolio and can serve the president’s vision of Accra and that of the people.
“Our resolve herein is based on the successes Mohammed Nii Adjei Sowah has chalked in supporting the president’s agenda and vision for the Accra Metropolitan Assembly.
“As a true grass root [sic] and a loyalist of the Danquah-Busia-Dombo tradition, Mohammed Nii Adjei Sowah delivered Greater Accra against all odds by winning 21 seats as regional secretary in the 2016 elections, a portfolio he had held for two terms running. His appointment and having received a 100% confirmation on 24 March 2017 didn’t come as a fluke.
“Adjei Sowah has always prioritised sanitation which has long been an issue in Accra, at the nexus of public safety, public health, the informal economy (which employs about 75% of Accra’s residents) and emissions contributing to climate change. He’s constantly emphasised inclusivity and equity, which remains as his core work.
“He has been aligned to Accra’s development and [has aligned the city’s] budget framework to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) [which] has helped to maintain principles amid this COVID-19 pandemic. Under his tenure, Accra has committed to publishing a Voluntary Local Review (VLR) to report on the progress towards equity and sustainability, which is a first of its kind,” the statement said.
Announcement on Sunday
The much-anticipated list of President Akufo-Addo’s appointees for the offices of metropolitan, municipal and district chief executive (MMDCEs) will be made public on Sunday 19 September 2021 during a press briefing at the Ministry of Information, Asaase Radio can confirm.
The Minister of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development, Dan Botwe, will take his turn at the weekly briefing to put out the official list he received from the president this week.
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