The elected assembly members, who make up the Ahanta West District Assembly (AWDA), have kicked against the decision by the President, John Dramani Mahama, to dismiss from office the Chief Executive Officer, Joseph Dofyena.
The members, who are seething with anger over the DCE dismissal, have said the decision by the President came to them as the utmost shock and surprise.
This is because, they least expected him to dismiss the DCE, who they described as ‘incorruptible’ and development-oriented, from office. It would be recalled that the Ahanta West DCE and three others were at the weekend dismissed from office by the President.
But addressing a press conference, the Spokesperson of the assembly members, Mr. Ebenezer Essien, told the conference that though they (Assembly Members) could not question the President’s decision, they would have preferred him to have waited until the tenure of office of the DCE had come to an end.
According to Essien, the tenure of office of the DCE comes to an end this Septembe, and, therefore, it would have been prudent for him (DCE) to have ended his tenure of office. Mr. Essien, however, urged the President to consider reversing his decision and bring back the DCE to office.
This is because the DCE was a likable figure of the elected assembly members, chiefs and people of the district. Six years under the administration of the ruling party, the Ahanat West District had witnessed two DCE’s dismissed from office. First was Joseph Amoah, who was dismissed from office by the late President, then the latest casualty, Joseph Dofoyena, whose dismissal has provoked rioting in the district.
But speaking in a telephone interview, George Kwame Aboagye denied that he had a hand in the dismissal of Joseph Dofoyena. Though MP Aboagye admitted that he had had problem with the DCE, his dismissal from office had come as a shock and surprise to him too. It would be recalled that the DCE and the MP had over the months been at loggerheads over who is who in the Ahanta West Constituency.
That tussle led to the MP firing a petition to the President to relieve the DCE of his position, on grounds that he could no longer work with him. The MP had complained and alleged of how the DCE secretly recorded him and circulated it to the media.