Assemblyman for Nobowam electoral area, Emmanuel Gallo, has disclosed that assembly members of the Juaben Municipal Assembly feel compelled to approve the President’s Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) nominee, Alex Sarfo Kantanka.

His comment follows the heavy deployment of armed police and military officers to the election centre on Friday, October 29.

Mr Gallo on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show said he and his colleagues feared for their lives after the incident, which caused them to boycott the exercise that day.

“It is elections involving 26 people, and you have two armour cars with policemen and soldiers, you will not feel secure or happy.

“Now, we think we feel pressured [to confirm Mr Kantaka] because if not, we will not be having this heavy security detail at the venue,” he said on Monday.

Noting that Juaben Municipal Assembly has never witnessed such a debacle, Mr Gallo added that the assembly members are intimidated and worried.

He hoped that by holding a press briefing to declare their displeasure, President Akufo-Addo, the Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei-Mensah, will heed their call.

However, this inadvertent press conference came at a cost as the Paramount Chief of the Juaben Traditional Area, Barima Otuo Siriboe, summoned them to inquire from them the reason behind their action.

The assembly members knelt to apologise to the Omanhene since he had met them a week ago and thought “he had effectively dealt with” any differences between the assembly members and the nominee.

The Omanhene had hoped that any outstanding issues would have been referred to him first before the assembly members went to the media.

However, a Political Analyst has questioned the onus the chief has to demand an apology from the members.

Professor Ransford Gyampo, on the same show, insisted that people have the right to hold a press conference to vent their grievances; as such, no chief has the right to summon them and make them kneel.

“It is politically bouffant to make democracy subservient to show anachronistic antiquated in whatever they don’t like; it is within their [assembly members] rights,” he said.