Local Government and Rural Development Minister, Akwasi Opong-Fosu, has denounced suggestions that it is illegal for Regional Ministers to temporarily take over from Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs). The Minister on Sunday signed a statement directing 33 MMDCEs who have not been re-nominated to hand over to their respective Regional Ministers with immediate effect. Local governance expert, George Kyei-Baffour, slammed the directive saying it is "illegal". Mr Kyei-Baffour, who is also a former President of the National Association of Local Authorities of Ghana (NALAG) told Joy News, civil society groups and the media must rise against the continuous violation of the Constitution by governments in appointing ministers to act in vacant assemblies. But Mr. oppong-Fosu said there is nothing wrong with the directive because since time immemorial, Regional Ministers have been playing temporary roles in situations where the MMDCE positions became vacant. The Minister explained: "The MMDCEs are the direct representatives of the President, and you cannot take anybody out of the Executive arm of government to represent the President at that level. That is why the Regional Minister, who is also the direct representative of the Present in the region and supervises the MMDAs, becomes the obvious person to assign [to take over from MMDCEs]." Although some of the 33 MMDCEs who have been directed to hand over to the Regional Ministers have not heeded the Minister's directive, he has advised them to do so. The Minister said "My advice [to them] is that since the President has the sole and exclusive prerogative of appointment, we must respect that." The Minister also said although there have been pockets of agitations in reaction to some MMDCE appointments, he is confident in the committee set up to assist the President to re-nominate or remove MMDCEs. However, Mr Kyei-Baffour was not impressed by the advice being offered by the Minister, describing it at as a "political gimmick" to assuage government's humiliation after most of its MMDCE nominees were rejected. The local governance expert also said he does not blame the MMDCEs who are refusing to leave office even though news about their removal from office first broke in the media. He described the announcement of their removal from office as unprofessional. According to him, the situation has arisen because this government and previous governments have deliberately looked on sometimes when the tenure of MMDCEs elapse because of political reasons.