Yendi Municipal Assembly members brawl over election of Presiding Member

 Members of the Yendi Municipal Assembly in the Northern Region were involved in a brawl yester­day after failing for the fifth time to elect their Presiding Member (PM).

The chaos at a meeting attend­ed by the 44 members erupted following the first round of voting when none of the candidates secured the required two-thirds majority needed to assume the role of PM.

• Mr Martin-Adjei Mensah Korsah, Local Government Minister

The Assembly Member for Kusheigu Electoral Area, Yakubu Fusheini, garnered 22 votes, while Alhassan Inusah Achiri, represent­ing Balogu Electoral Area, received 21 votes, with one vote being rejected.

Expressing concern over the sit­uation, the Yendi Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Alhaji Ahmed Yussif Abubakari Cums, lamented that the inability to elect a PM in the past seven months was hinder­ing the assembly’s progress.

He attributed this gridlock to political divisions among the members.

Alhaji Cums urged the assembly members to set aside their political differences for the sake of devel­opment, emphasising the finan­cial cost of the repeated sittings and the impact on community progress.

Highlighting the consequences of their inaction, he pointed out that without a functioning PM, crucial developmental projects could not move forward.

He underscored the impor­tance of unity, reminding them of their shared commitment to the advancement of Yendi and its communities.

Residents who witnessed the chaotic scene expressed dis­appointment, fearing that the assembly’s inability to elect a PM would delay crucial development initiatives across the municipality.

A resident, Alhaji Barahama Hamdu, said such discord among assembly members was unprece­dented since the establishment of the Yendi Municipal Assembly in the early 1970s.

He criticised the assembly members, suggesting that personal interests were overshadowing the community’s welfare.

In response, some assembly members acknowledged the regret­table nature of the incident, and its unfortunate consequences.

 FROM YAHAYA NUHU NADAA, YENDI