Owusu-Afriyie confirmed as Weija MCE

Page 16, April 2, 2008
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
THE President’s nominee for the post of District Chief Executive (DCE) for the newly created Weija Municipality, Mr Stephen Owusu-Afriyie, was yesterday confirmed by the assembly.
He polled 19 votes out of 21 in an election supervised by the Electoral Commission (EC) to receive the nod at the assembly’s first sitting at Weija in the Greater Accra Region.
However, the election of the Presiding Member of the assembly was decided after three rounds of voting.
In the first two rounds, Nii Abissey Braide polled 12 on both occasions while his contender, Mr Slyvanus Martey, also had nine votes on both rounds.
There was tension when the assembly members adjourned sitting briefly to consult themselves to see how best they could come out with a presiding member to pave way for the confirmation of the MCE.
In the end, Mr Martey stepped down for a third round of voting to be conducted to determine the popularity of Nii Braide during which he had 16 out of the 21 votes.
In a speech after he had been sworn in, Mr Owusu-Afriyie said he was overwhelmed by the “one touch” majority verdict to confirm his nomination, adding that it was a clear indication that the House was poised for action.
By their action, the MCE stated that the assembly members had shown how prepared they were to work in harmony to achieve a common goal for the betterment of the newly created municipality.
Mr Owusu-Afriyie promised to adopt an open-door administration and urged the assembly members to avoid bickering, rancour, antagonism and animosity, in order to create a conducive atmosphere for rapid development.
For his part, Ni Braide promised to work in harmony with the MCE to ensure the achievement of the set goals of the assembly.