THE President, Professor John Evans Atta Mills, has directed all sitting district, municipal and metropolitan chief executives to be at post until further notice.
He said nothing indicated that they should vacate their positions when there was a change of government and that they must ensure that there was continuous functioning of government business in their areas of jurisdiction.
The Presidential Spokesperson, Mr Mahama Ayariga, who said this on behalf of the President, added that Prof Mills gave the directive because there was information that some chief executives vacated their posts when the National Democratic Congress (NDC) was pronounced the winner of the 2008 elections.
He noted that as stated by the law, the chief executives could leave office only when they resigned, were impeached by the assembly or fired by the President, adding that since none of those had occurred, they should all stay at post.
He described the said vacation of posts by the chief executives as “worrying” and noted that as promised by the President in his inaugural address, the Mills administration would hit the ground running and would not leave any room for witch-hunt, political vendetta and the blame game.
The President is expected to nominate 138 people of his choice who will be confirmed or rejected by their various assemblies for a four-year term.
But the President has the power and authority to remove any of the chief executives without assigning reasons.
In 2001 when there was a change of government from the NDC to the NPP administration, the new government ordered all the chief executives to vacate their offices and residences.
Their end-of-service benefits took a long time to be paid because, according to the new administration, the chief executives were being investigated.
With that as a guide, some serving chief executives, in anticipation of similar treatment, vacated their posts and packed from their official residences when the results of the 2008 presidential elections were declared.
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