Former Ashanti Regional NPP Assembly members Caucus has called on the Ashanti Regional Co-ordinating Council (ARCC) to thoroughly investigate the circumstances that led to the illegal arrest of three serving members of the Bosome-Freho District Assembly in their line of duty.
The membership of the Ashanti Regional NPP Assembly members Caucus, include Nana Kofi Senyah as patron, Hon. Abraham Boadicea, former Presiding Member of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA), Hon. Kwame Kwakye (chairman), Hon. Yaw Amoateng and Hon. Grace Donkor.
The group has reminded the RCC of its core mandate, in line with sections 202 and 202 of Act 936 to monitor and evaluate activities of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) on behalf of the President, to let sanity prevail at the Bosome-Freho Assembly.
Hon. Mary Mensah (Anyaaso electoral area), Hon. Maxwell Degraft (Mmorontuo electoral area) and Hon. Joseph Nketia, a government appointee, were recently arrested and detained in police custody at the alleged instance of the District Chief executive.
Hon. Lawrence Adu, the organiser of the Caucus and former Assembly member of Afful Nkwanta, who addressed the press conference yesterday in Kumasi on behalf of the group condemned attempts by the District Chief Executive to use the police to arrest the Presiding Member and six other Assembly members believed to be championing the vote of no confidence in the DCE.
Mr. Adu noted that the said arrests are in sharp contrast with the provisions of section 216 (1) of the Local Government Act 936 of 2016 which states that “there shall be freedom of speech, debate and proceedings in every District Assembly and the freedom shall not be impeached or questioned in any court or place.”
He also referred to Section 217 sub-section 1 of Act 936 to buttress their position on the illegality of the said arrests for which the law stated that “civil of criminal proceeding shall not be instituted against a member of a District assembly of officers of the District Assembly or any matter of thing brought by that person in or before the District Assembly by petition, motion or otherwise”.
They accused the Regional Minister of backing the DCE in unleashing physical assault and attacks on honourable members of the Assembly by engaging the the services of machomen, whose brutalities were countered by the use of chairs, as the only weapon at their disposal to defend themselves.
