The Local Government Ministry has jumped to the defence of the embattled Mayor of Accra Alfred Oko Vanderpuije who is under pressure to resign following two deadly collapse of high rise buildings in Accra within a period of two years.

"From the ministry's opinion we don't think the Mayor should resign," Deputy Local Government Minister Emmanuel Agyakum told Joy News' Dzifa Bampoh on Top Story.

Alfred  Vanderpuije has been under fire following the recent collapse of a seven-storey uncompleted hotel at Nii Boi Town in Accra which claimed a life and injured another.

Barely two years ago a four-storey Melcom shopping mall collapsed killing 14 and injuring dozen others.

Many Ghanaians have been angry and have demanded the resignation or the dismissal of the Accra Mayor.

The Progressive Peoples Party, the Executive Secretary of the Bureau of Safety, Nana Amihere, a Lecturer at Ashesi University, Dr. Lloyd Amoah have all, at one time or another, demanded for the resignation or dismissal of the Accra Mayor.

On Wednesday some Members of Parliament waded into the argument and also demanded the resignation of the Accra Mayor.

MP for Okaikoi Central Patrick Boamah led the crusade in demanding the dismissal of the Accra Mayor but got the flak from Assembly members who have sworn to defend the Accra Mayor through thick and thin.

Some of the Assembly members say the MP must rather resign for failing to attend the Assembly meetings as expected of him and failing to make good use of his District Assembly Common Funds.

But the MP Patrick Yaw Boamah is not perturbed. He said the Assembly members have every right to express their opinions on the issue but at the end of the day the Mayor has the responsibility to enforce the bye-laws and to ensure the safety of people. If he fails to do that he should resign in principle.

He told Dzifah Bampoh the Mayor who has lived and worked outside the country for many years came back home with fire in his belly seeking to improve the situation in Accra.

"Are we satisfied with his performance in terms of sanitation?" he asked.

He said the Mayor swore an oath to comply with the local government laws but has failed to do so.

Asked if he was going to take other steps to demand for the resignation of the Mayor, Mr Boamah said the president appointed him and he was confirmed by the Assembly. So if the president thinks he is performing, so be it.

In a reaction the Deputy Local Government Minister Emmanuel Agyemang said the call for the Mayor's resignation is premature.

He said the government will first have to peruse the content of the Melcom disaster report to know the findings and the causes of the disaster before a substantive decision will be taken.