A clash has erupted between the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Ellembele Constituency in the Western Region and the District Chief Executive (DCE) over who fixes deplorable roads in the constituency.
According to the DCE, Kwasi Bonzoh, the assembly had already allocated funds for road repairs but had to pause the work due to heavy rains.
He accuses the MP of instructing the contractor to continue the project while claiming credit for it.
“Yesterday, I received a phone call while at another location, informing me that the MP had made an announcement on the local information center, claiming that he had provided funds for the road reshaping.”
“I called the contractor and I asked him what is happening? How come that the road that is under construction by him is being claimed that somebody else is funding it?”.
Mr Bonzoh expressed his concern over the MP’s actions, saying, “For the MP to go out and lie, that’s where I had an issue.”
However, the Ellembele MP, Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah disagrees with the DCE asserting that his actions were motivated by politics.
He explained that he was approached by the community leaders about the deplorable state of the road as they were preparing to celebrate their festival.
“I went to engage the contractor and said that yes, I know the situation, but what can we do?
“So we had an engagement. We finally reached an agreement and the Assembly member called me that the DCE is on his way to go and stop the work,” he said.
Mr Buah expressed surprise at the DCE’s decision to halt the project and said he called him to clarify the situation.
“I said oh no, it’s not true. Then I got another call from the contractor that the DCE had called him to stop work. I said no, I can’t believe it so I called the DCE myself.
“He said, I’m on my way, I’m going to stop the work,” the Ellembele MP stressed.
In response to this dispute, a local governance expert, Dr. Richard Ross emphasised the importance of collaboration between DCEs and MPs to bring development to their communities.
He urged politicians not to prioritise politics over the national interest and to prioritise the well-being of citizens.
