Kadjebi: Some residents of Kadjebi in the Oti Region have expressed divergent views on the three candidates shortlisted for the District Chief Executive (DCE) position for Kadjebi. While some said the selection criteria was shredded in secrecy, others said the three were ‘fine gentlemen for the post’.
According to Ghana News Agency, three candidates; Richard Akrasi, Akan Constituency Communications Officer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Isaac Abavon, Akan Constituency Secretary of the NDC, and Dr. Sam Suraj Issaka, Research Scientist with the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission have been shortlisted for the DCE post for Kadjebi. Of the three, President John Dramani Mahama will select only one for the DCE portfolio.
Mr. Abdul Rasheed Sulemana, former Akan Constituency Secretary of the NDC, expressed that ‘all are fine gentlemen fit for the job, however, the final selection of the DCE should be based on ethnicity, so that no tribe is left behind.’ Mr. Emmanuel Osei, Programmes Officer with the Network of Communities in Development (NOCID), a Kadjebi-based NGO, described the three candidates as good materials for the post, noting the relevant experience of both Abavon and Suraj as assemblymen.
Mr. Osei told GNA that the two understand the local government system well and that selection of any of them would be appropriate. Ms. Mabel Fadji Akakpo, former Akan Constituency Women Organiser of the NDC, expressed her concerns about the vetting process, stating that she ‘smell a rat’ in how the Vetting Committee arrived at its selection. Ms. Akakpo, who was one of the contestants, is awaiting the final selection by the President.
In total, twelve aspirants had filed for the Kadjebi DCE position, with three being shortlisted for consideration by the President.