South Tongu District Assembly fails to elect Presiding Member after two unsuccessful attempts
Sogakope, Volta Region – The South Tongu District Assembly has failed to elect a new Presiding Member (PM) after two rounds of voting held on Thursday, May 9, 2025. This follows the elevation of the immediate past Presiding Member, Hon. Victoria Dzeklo, to the position of District Chief Executive (DCE) a few weeks ago.
Five assembly members, including one government appointee, contested the vacant position, but none of the candidates was able to secure the constitutionally required two-thirds majority of members present and voting, by Section 17(2) of the Local Governance Act, 2016 (Act 936).
The five individuals who picked nomination forms were: Hon. Savior Agbeko Lawerh – A three-term assembly member for the Amedorkope/Tuanikope Electoral Area, contesting the PM position for the third time. Hon. Francis Quashie Agbedeke – A first-time assembly member representing Hlevi/Toklokpo Electoral Area. Hon. Benjamin Amekudzi – A third-term member for the Tefle Electoral Area. Hon. Peter Newton Doe – A two-term member representing the Dzebato Electoral Area. Lawyer Bernard Edem Kofi Dzinyela – A government appointee and Board Chairman of DASTECH, newly sworn in just a month ago.
The assembly currently has 40 elected members and 18 government appointees, totalling 58 voting members. However, due to a vacancy in the Atravenu Electoral Area following Hon. Dzeklo’s confirmation as DCE, and with two government appointees absent (with written permission), the effective voting strength on the day was 55 members.
After the first round of polls, Lawyer Bernard Dzinyela pulled 16 votes representing 27%, Hon. Benjamin Amekudzi had 13 votes representing 22%, Hon. Francis Agbedeke: 10 votes (16.9%), Hon. Savior Lawerh: 9 votes (15.2%), Hon. Peter Doe: 7 votes (11.8%), Rejected ballots: 1
As none of the candidates met the two-thirds threshold (i.e., at least 37 out of 55 votes), the Electoral Commission called for a runoff between the top two candidates who are Lawyer Edem Kofi Dzinyela and Hon. Benjamin Amekudzi.
After the runoff, the two candidates pull the results as follows; Lawyer Bernard Dzinyela: 27 votes representing 45.76% and Hon. Benjamin Amekudzi with 24 votes representing 40.67%, with five rejected ballots
Again, neither candidate achieved the minimum two-thirds requirement, leaving the Assembly without a Presiding Member.
As stipulated by electoral procedure, the Assembly has been adjourned for a period not exceeding 10 days, during which the Electoral Commission will reopen nominations to allow for fresh contestants or re-nomination of previous aspirants.
As stipulated under Act 936, Section 17(3): “Where no person is elected as the presiding member, the meeting shall be adjourned and another meeting shall be held within ten days of the previous meeting.”
The absence of a Presiding Member hampers the Assembly’s ability to conduct official business and hinders the passage of key motions and development decisions at the local level.
Local government observers have noted the fragmentation of the Assembly’s voting bloc and the presence of five candidates as key factors behind the stalemate. Concerns have also been raised about growing partisanship and lobbying within district assemblies, which often delay consensus on such critical positions.
It remains to be seen whether the Assembly members will consolidate behind a single candidate or whether fresh faces will emerge when nominations reopen. Stakeholders have urged assembly members to put aside personal ambitions and political divides for the sake of local governance and community development.
Credit: Midorse Ivan Mawutor
