Assembly Members in the Bosomtwe District of the Ashanti Region have petitioned President John Dramani Mahama to remove their District Chief Executive, Hamidu Abdallah, over allegations of persistent overspending and commercialisation of the District Road Improvement Programme equipment.

At a press conference, the Assembly Members said an audit report has exposed excessive administrative expenses, particularly on communication, despite budgetary provision for laptops to make communication with members cheaper and more efficient.

“Why does the Assembly continue to spend heavily on printing letters and using vehicles and fuel to distribute them to members across the district, when the budget had already made provision for laptops?” questioned Nana Akwasi Asare Nyansapor, Assembly Member for Akokofe and leader of the petitioners.

The Assembly Members say the overspending is just one of nine major concerns pushing them to threaten a vote of no confidence against the DCE if the President fails to act.

Immediately following the audit concerns is what they describe as the deliberate obstruction of the District Road Improvement Programme (DRIP).

According to the petitioners, the Member of Parliament for Bosomtwe has pledged to fuel the DRIP machines to work for two days in each electoral area to reshape inner roads in all 67 communities.

They allege, however, that the DCE has refused to release the machines for the MP’s initiative, while the same machines are promptly released to private individuals and communities who pay cash, something they suspect management is profiting from.

Beyond the audit and DRIP issues, the petition, addressed to the Ashanti Regional Minister and the Minister for Local Government, also accuses the DCE of misplaced priorities, citing the renovation and refurnishing of his office, which was not captured in the approved budget, at the expense of streetlights.

Other allegations include failure to brief the Assembly on the government’s 10km-per-district road project, frustrating communal self-help projects such as a three-unit classroom block at Amankwaadae, condoning illegal mining until a regional task force seized five excavators in the district, and delays in paying Assembly Members’ allowances.

The petitioners said they gave the DCE and his Coordinating Director a two-week ultimatum to respond, but they failed to do so.

The DCE, Hamidu Abdallah, has, however, dismissed all allegations.

“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, adding that his actions have been geared towards development.

He said some issues had already been resolved at General Assembly meetings but promised to engage members further.

He also threatened to sue the leader of the petitioners, Nana Akwasi Asare Nyansapor, for defamation, saying the allegations could damage his reputation.