A group calling itself concerned assembly members in the Cape Coast metropolitan assembly has said it will not hesitate to take legal action following the chaos that erupted at the confirmation of the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) nominee, Ernest Arthur.
The group, numbering over 20, says they could not fathom why the Electoral Commission (EC) went ahead to confirm Mr Arthur during a melee which to them was an act without their consent.
Speaking on Asempa FM’s EkosiI Sen show Monday, October 18, 2021, Lamidi Alhassan, one of the concerned assembly members, said all 23 members decided to vote ‘No’ for a tangible reason.
He, for instance, said he voted ‘no’ because a toilet project in his assembly has been abandoned and nothing has been done about it.
“We, the concerned assembly members, voted no, and even during the confusion, we expected the EC to halt but they confirmed him and later came to lie to the public that we voted yes but that was false,” he said.
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He said another concern they raised was about the venue and a decision for them to vote on Sunday when chiefs and elders of the assembly urged them to come to a consensus before voting but wondered why their leaders chose a different venue for the election which to him was illegal.
Speaking on the bribe they allegedly took before confirming the MCE, he said they can no longer keep the money the president’s nominee ‘gifted’ them prior to the voting process because they want to protect their integrity and maintain their firm stance at protecting the progress of Cape Coast.
“We returned the money he gave us. The money was given to our leader and we know that he returned the money. To the best of my knowledge, we have returned the money,” he added.
The MCE nominated for Cape Coast, Ernest Arthur, was rejected after he polled 34 out of 65 votes cast so did not make it through. He needed 44 votes to make the pass.
He was rejected a second time despite the appeal of the Central Regional Minister, Justina Marigold Assan. He pulled 40 votes out of the total 65 votes.
He was, however, finally confirmed amid the chaos witnessed.