Former President John Mahama has denied claims by President Akufo-Addo that consensus was reached in a meeting with former presidents on allowing party politics in the election of Metropolitan Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs).
According to him, although the matter came up at the meeting, the parties never made definite conclusions on it.
President Akufo-Addo, in announcing the cancellation of the December 17 referendum and order for the withdrawal of an amendment Bill to allow Ghanaians to vote for the election of MMDCEs on Sunday said:
“On Tuesday, 18th April, 2017, a little over four (4) months into my mandate, I held a meeting with my three predecessors, the 1st, 2nd and 4th Presidents of the 4th Republic, their Excellencies Jerry John Rawlings, John Agyekum Kufuor, and John Dramani Mahama, at Jubilee House, to seek their views and counsel on these issues. I came away from that meeting with the view that there was consensus amongst us that the time had come for political parties to participate openly in district assembly elections and local governance.”
But John Mahama said consensus was reached on other matters that came up at the meeting but not on the politicization local government elections.
“President Rawlings did not express any firm stand. On that particular matter, there was no consensus, even though we discussed it.”
He said although the parties at the meeting agreed on other matters, they did not come to an agreement on the issue of election of MMDCEs on partisan lines.
“We achieved consensus on some issues to do with welfare, [and] the creation of new regions but on the issue of election of MMDCEs we did not achieve consensus. President Akufo-Addo and President Kufuor, at the time were more for political parties participating in the nomination of the MMDCEs,” Mahama said.
Source; Daily Graphic
