BIRIM CENTRAL REJECTS NOMINEE (PAGE 13)

THE desire of a 57-year-old educationist, Madam Ophelia Koomson, to assume the position of Municipal Chief Executive for Birim Central in the Eastern Region was shattered when the assembly outrightly rejected her.
She polled 22 out of the 46 votes cast, representing 47.8 per cent.
Under the requirement, she should get two thirds of the votes to carry the day or half to enable her to go for a second balloting within 10 days.
Madam Koomson, the only female appointee whose approval would have completed the cycle of confirmations of all the 21 municipal and district chief executives in the region, thus had become the only nominee to have failed to secure half of the votes.
The nominee is currently the Vice Chairperson of the Akyem Oda Constituency and former treasurer of the party. She was also once an elected assembly member and government appointee at the assembly  
Her nomination initially sparked protests from a section of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) supporters who staged a demonstration.
At Akyem Oda, the municipal capital, where the ballot was cast, the whole process delayed for nearly about one-and-half hours during which the Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, held lengthy close door meetings with some of the assembly members after which he spent an additional 40 minutes in the assembly, pleading for support for the nominee.
According to him, Madam Koomson’s nomination was in line with the government’s policy of appointing a considerable number of women to top positions.
He said the nominee, who had a good working record and experience, could help advance the cause of the people in the municipality.
Mr Ampofo urged the people to bury their differences and support her.
In her speech prior to the voting, Madam Ophelia said as a human being she might have stepped on the toes of some of them and pleaded for forgiveness.
For his part, the Eastern Regional representative on the Council of State, Osabarima Owusu Gyamadu, who was also present at the gathering, asked the people to rally behind the nominee, since they were all one people.