The District Chief Executive (DCE) for Bosomtwe in the Ashanti Region, Hamidu Abdallah, has rejected calls for his removal, describing allegations levelled against him by some Assembly Members as unfounded and insufficient to warrant his dismissal.
The Assembly Members have petitioned President John Dramani Mahama, the Ashanti Regional Minister and the Minister for Local Government, seeking the DCE’s removal over alleged financial mismanagement, misuse of District Road Improvement Programme (DRIP) equipment and other governance concerns.
However, Mr Abdallah has dismissed the accusations, insisting that his administration’s decisions have been driven by the development needs of the district.
The petitioners, led by the Assembly Member for Akokofe, Nana Akwasi Asare Nyansapor, contend that an audit report revealed excessive administrative spending, particularly on communication and the distribution of official correspondence.
They questioned why the Assembly continued to spend money on printing letters and using vehicles and fuel to deliver them to Assembly Members despite budgetary provisions for laptops intended to facilitate cheaper communication.
The Assembly Members said the alleged financial irregularities formed part of nine concerns underpinning their demand for the DCE’s removal.
A major point of contention is the management of DRIP equipment in the district.
According to the petitioners, the Member of Parliament for Bosomtwe had offered to finance fuel for the DRIP machines to enable them to work for two days in each of the district’s electoral areas and reshape roads across 67 communities.
They alleged that the DCE had refused to release the machines for the initiative, while the equipment was allegedly made available to private individuals and communities who paid cash.
The Assembly Members said the practice raised concerns about the possible commercialisation of public equipment meant to serve the wider district.
They also accused the DCE of prioritising the renovation and refurnishing of his office, which they claimed was not included in the approved budget, while streetlight projects were allegedly neglected.
Other concerns raised in the petition include alleged failure to brief the Assembly on the government’s 10-kilometre-per-district road programme, interference in communal self-help projects and delays in paying Assembly Members’ allowances.
The petitioners further accused the DCE of frustrating the construction of a three-unit classroom block at Amankwaadae and alleged that he failed to take sufficient action against illegal mining until a regional task force seized five excavators in the district.
They said they had given the DCE and the Coordinating Director a two-week deadline to respond to their concerns but received no satisfactory response.
Mr Abdallah, however, has strongly disputed the claims.
He said none of the allegations was serious enough to justify his removal from office or trigger a vote of no confidence.
“None of the allegations made against me merits weight to make the President sack me or trigger a vote of no confidence against me,” he said.
The DCE explained that several of the issues raised had already been discussed and resolved at General Assembly meetings, while others required further engagement with the Assembly Members.
He maintained that his decisions had been taken in the interest of the district’s development and rejected suggestions that public resources had been improperly managed.
Mr Abdallah also warned that he would consider legal action against Nana Akwasi Asare Nyansapor over what he described as defamatory allegations, arguing that the claims could damage his reputation.
The dispute now places the future of the Bosomtwe DCE in the hands of the relevant authorities, as the petitioners press for an investigation and possible removal while Mr Abdallah maintains that the accusations against him lack merit.
