The attempt by Mr Samuel Sarpong, former Ashanti Region Minister to chair a meeting involving members of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly has been met with huge resistance. Some members of the KMA insisted Mr Sarpong no longer has jurisdiction over the region. He was the KMA boss until he was nominated and approved early this year as Ashanti Region Minister. Barely a week after taking office, Mr Sarpong was sent to head the Central Region in a controversial regional ministerial reshuffle announced by the president. Interestingly at a meeting by members of the KMA, Mr Sarpong was present in his capacity as the chairman, a position some members of the KMA vehemently challenged. Luv FM’s Erastus Asare Donkor reported there was drama at the meeting. According to him, the meeting was to consider permit application for a Chinese construction firm to build multiple apartments and shopping centre on a piece of land opposite the assembly’s premises. Sources at the meeting told Donkor, Government’s appointee and convener of the works sub-committee, Ishmael Butler and some other colleagues protested Samuel Sarpong’s decision to chair a meeting. But the KMA boss said he still has the mandate to chair the meeting because he was yet to officially handover his position as the KMA boss, even though he had done so as the Regional Minister. Butler insisted once he had handed over as Regional Minister he had no business chairing the KMA meeting. Butler will not publicly comment on the matter for administrative reasons. But the Assembly member for Ridge Nhyiaeso, Abraham Boadi who shares in the concerns of Mr Butler said the former Regional Minister has no business chairing the meeting. “He has been transferred to the Central Region, so why is he coming back to KMA to chair one of the responsible committees in the district. That is wrong, totally wrong." “He doesn’t have any jurisdiction in the region anymore,” he insisted, adding they will formally write to the Local Government minister for interpretation. He said Mr Sarpong insisted on chairing the meeting because of his personal interest and relationship with the Chinese. Abraham Boadi said the Assembly will resist any attempt by Mr Sarpong to lease the land to the Chinese without using the due process of law. Mr Sarpong has also refused to comment publicly on the matter.