The Minister-designate for Local Government, Chieftaincy, and Religious Affairs, Ahmed Ibrahim, has expressed his firm commitment to resolving any conflicts between Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) and Members of Parliament (MPs) within his administration.

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The Majority Chief Whip assured that he will prioritize fostering effective collaboration between MPs and MMDCEs to ensure seamless cooperation for the development of districts, municipalities, and metropolitan assemblies.

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In response to questions posed during his vetting by the Appointments Committee of Parliament on Tuesday, January 21, Ibrahim highlighted his strategies for handling any potential discord between MMDCEs and MPs representing the same constituencies.“When given the nod, having been a Whip in Parliament for twelve years, I will not allow any DCE to disrespect any Member of Parliament.

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In the same way, I will also make sure there is a common platform for any DCE and MPs to be able to have frequent discussions for us to understand our job descriptions,” he statedThe legislator highlighted instances where MPs were compelled to stay in Accra for months, often over nine, due to supposed official responsibilities, unable to visit their constituencies because of organized attacks by DCEs and MMDCEs.

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The Minister-designate issued a firm warning to DCEs who were found to be misappropriating funds allocated for MPs, stressing that such actions would be dealt with decisively under his watch.“Finally, DCEs who sabotage their MPs in the last election couldn’t win. As a whip, there were several complains where DCEs were sitting on the common fund of their MPs yet the MPs won.

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So, it is not how you mishandle your MP’s common fund that will make him lose election,” he added.

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