Members of the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly have been unable to elect a presiding member because the two contestants could not secure the required two-thirds of votes cast.
Incumbent Presiding Member, Mohammed Alhassan polled 31 out of the 59 votes cast while his competitor, Mohammed Rashad Abdulai secured 28 votes.
One person was absent, with no rejected ballot.
The Tamale Metropolitan Assembly has 62 members made up of 41 elected members, 18 government appointees, two Members of Parliament for the area and the Mayor.
Even though the two MPs and the Mayor are part of the membership, they do not have voting rights.
Speaking to the media, the Tamale Metropolitan Electoral Officer, Bismark Nteh said because neither of the two candidates made the 42 votes required by the standing orders of the House to be elected, the Assembly is expected to reconvene within ten days to elect a candidate.
The Assembly had earlier decided to take a break to enable the two candidates lobby for votes and then reconvene for the elections, instead they announced a postponed of the elections to a later date.
Coordinating Director of the Assembly, Mr. Gilbert Nuuri-Teg before the break, urged the Assembly Members to put their differences aside and put the interest of the Tamale Metropolis first. He cautioned that if members of the Assembly fail to elect a presiding member, business of the House would be jeopardised.
Mr. Nuuri-Teg said they will not be able to convene meetings to deliberate on matters of the Assembly and that would render the Assembly defunct.
He reminded the members of a provision in the Local Government Act which offers the President the power to dissolve and suspend an Assembly that is defunct.
He said the Assembly will not qualify for some major funding, citing the disqualification of the Assembly from presenting their appraisal assessment as one avenue for funding.
Mr. Gilbert Nuuri-Teg said the Assembly currently has challenges with Internally Generated Funds, therefore, activities could grind to halt.
Latest Stories
-
Girl, 8, only survivor as 45 killed in bus crash in South Africa
28 mins -
Biden to host star-studded NYC fundraiser with Obama and Clinton
33 mins -
GDNR, AAU and others launch Universal Acceptance for local languages in internet domain names
58 mins -
Ogum and Kotoko’s March malaise
3 hours -
2 repair vessels dispatched for undersea cable repairs – says NCA’s latest update
3 hours -
Multimedia Group Limited’s Clinton Yeboah shortlisted for 2 International Sports Press Association Awards
3 hours -
Supreme Court upholds High Court verdict on fraudulent sale of property by Senior Police Officer
4 hours -
NHIS Biometric Membership Authentication System limited rollout satisfactory – NHIA Deputy CEO
4 hours -
Yara Ghana donates 1,107 bags of fertilizers to women farmers, farmers with disabilities
4 hours -
Tinubu forms team to find solutions to ailing economy
4 hours -
Jacob Zuma barred from running in South Africa election
4 hours -
Western Cape Education wins national primary school track and field championships
5 hours -
Cyber Security Authority issues Public Alert over Easter and Eid al-Fitr season scams
5 hours -
Sandro Tonali charged by FA for alleged betting rules breaches after joining Newcastle
5 hours -
Scancom PLC holds 6th AGM, declares dividend of 17.5 pesewas per share
5 hours