Govt Appointees Declare Support For AMA Boss

Government appointees at the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) have jumped to the defence of the Mayor of Accra, Alfred Vanderpuije, after an attempt was made by some members of the assembly including the presiding member to oust him. The Greater Accra Minister Nii Armah Ashietey reportedly intervened to resolve the issue. Assembly members who want the mayor out of office accuse him of running a one man show and sidelining them in the management of the affairs of the assembly. But Nii Adjebu Lamptey a government appointee to the AMA told Citi News that the mayor has not sidelined anyone in running the assembly, describing the allegations against him as false. �All the programs and projects that are being executed by the assembly were approved by the previous assembly which I was a member,� Lamptey said. �So this new assembly has now settled and wants to take off. � �So if there is a new member of the assembly who thinks that the mayor is doing anything contrary, I think that he should consult his colleagues, but not to say that the mayor is undertaking projects that have not been approved by the assembly. � He added: �The decongestion was approved by the assembly, the construction of the millennium schools was approved by the assembly, if he has a personal problem with the Chief Executive you don�t gather people to support your personal interest. � Meanwhile, a former President of the National Association of Local Authorities of Ghana, (NALAG) Mr George Kyei-Baffour has called for the election of heads of various Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies in Ghana. According to Mr. Baffour, the current rift among members of AMA supports his arguments. He told Citi News that there will only be an effective local government system when people who head various assemblies are elected and not appointed.