Many of the applicants would be disappointed as the Regional Executive body of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has been instructed to trim the numbers to five for each of the 15 Constituencies in the 13 District and Municipal Assemblies.

 

     Article 243 of the 1992 Constitution provides for appointment by the President of the Republic, Chief Executive Officers for all the District Assemblies to be approved by at least two-thirds majority of the members of the assembly present and voting at the meeting.

 

    A Regional Vice Chairman of the NPP in the Region, Mr Osman Mahamud Konkonaba, told the Ghana News Agency that the trimming of the figure to five for each constituency became necessary as result of the high number of Party faithful interested in the positions and said it would immediately follow further cutting of the numbers to three for each Constituency.

 

    He indicated that there shall be vetting of the applicants and their results forwarded to Accra for final action on their applications by the President and expressed the hope that the panel would deliver its duties diligently to enable the region get quality persons to serve in those capacities.

 

    Mr Konkonaba said applicants should have been registered members of the Party for at least two years and they must have fulfilled all Party obligations including payment of dues among others.

 

    The Upper East Region of Ghana has 13 districts made up of three Municipal Assemblies and 11 District Assemblies. 

 

The Municipal Assemblies are Bolgatanga, Bawku, and Kassena-Nankana.  The Districts are Bawku West, Bongo, Garu-Tempane, Kassena-Nankana West and Talensi. The others are Nabdam, Pusiga, Builsa South, Bulsa North and the Binduri Districts.

 

   Prior to the instruction from the Head office of the Party to reduce the numbers, the distributions per districts were as follows; Bolgatanga 12, Garu-Tempane 28, Zebila 14, Nabdam 10, Talansi 11, Pusiga 16, Navrongo 10, Bulsa North  11, Builsa South  four, Chiana-Paga 18, Bongo 10, Binduri 16, Bawku 12

 

    By March, the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo would be expected to name his MMDCEs to enable them oversee the districts on his behalf.

 

The President has been a strong advocate of electing MMDCEs through the ballot to strengthen the local government system by building structures to detach it from mainstream politics.