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Assembly members of the Jaman South Municipal Assembly in the Brong Ahafo Region have debunked the involvement of their Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Alhaji Abuu in clashes between residents of Drobo and Japekrom in the Jaman South District of the region.

There have been some violent clashes between the two factions resulting in the death of about three people and others severely injured.

Recent riot between the residents on Wednesday, October 17, 2018 called for the attention of the Regional Security Council and the Interior Minister, Ambrose Dery who by an Executive Instrument imposed a curfew on Drobo, Japekrom and six other communities in the Jaman South Municipality.

Following the incident, the MCE has been accused of instigating the protest with reports indicating that he was seen with a pump action gun and firing at people of Japekrom leading to the death of three persons.

He was further accused to have called for the withdrawal of the Police from protecting people of Japekrom in their procession across principal streets of Drobo which eventually turned violent.

In a statement signed by forty (40) Assembly members in the municipality and copied to Peacefmonline.com, the claims against the MCE are said to have been orchestrated for mischief purposes and in an attempt to strip him of his appointment and title.

"This is absurd. The absurdity is that the Municipal Chief Executive who was reported to have been engaging the Police in a meeting could not be holding and firing gun shots at the same time or vice versa.

"Again, we are reliably informed and so are the Nananom of both Drobo and Japekrom Traditional Councils that, the issue that culminated into this unfortunate happening was brought before the Municipal Security Council (MUSEC) and letter later referred to the Regional Security Council (REGSEC). According to law and practice, if a security issue is before the Regional Security Council, it is beyond the powers of the Municipal Chief Executive to effect changes and issue directives," the Assembly members stated.

According to them, Alhaji Abuu's actions have been peaceful as his interventions and efforts are geared to ensure law and order in the municipality, contrary to reports of him masterminding the clashes.

They stated that the "Municipal Chief Executive as Commander-In-Chief and Chairman of the Municipal Security Council (MUSEC) used his honourable office to ensure peace in the Municipality from Municipal Security Council (MUSEC) to the Regional Security Council (REGSEC). Again, it should be noted that, when Security issue is before the Regional Security Council, the Municipal Chief Executive has no power whatsoever to instruct the Security as being alleged".

The Assembly members further stated that the Japekrom Traditional Council is behind attempts to remove the MCE from office, hence fabricating stories about his involvement in the tumult.

" . . Nananom of Japekrom Traditional Council mentioned categorically in a press conference dated 25th October, 2018 that they do not want the Municipal Chief Executive; they could not stay with him on their land and could not work with him as their Municipal Chief Executive because he is a native of Drobo, and as a representative of Drobo Traditional Council and that the President, (His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo Addo) should remove him from office".

They want the Japekrom Traditional Council and residents of both Japekrom and Drobo to note carefully that the MCE is the "representative of the President in the Jaman South Municipality. The MCE's office was not created by the Drobo Traditional Council; neither was it the alter ego of any traditional council within the Municipality. The alleged alliance of the office of the MCE with the Drobo Traditional Council is intended only to cause divisiveness among the people in the Municipality. This, we consider to be unfortunate and would serve as bad precedence".

They therefore pledged their solid support for Alhaji Abuu and strongly warned "those opportunists who would want to take undue advantage of the recent happenings to call for the removal of Hon. Alhaji Abuu from office, instead of supporting the call for restoring peace that, we as Hon. Assembly Members, are not ready to approve of any person or work with anybody apart from our current Municipal Chief Executive Hon. Alhaji Abuu".